Ravichandran Ashwin retires from international cricket

Ravichandran Ashwin has announced his decision to retire from all formats of cricket with immediate effect following the draw in the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday (December 18). At the time of retirement, the 38-year-old is fifth and third on the ICC Test rankings for bowlers and allrounders respectively. The second highest wicket-taker for India in Tests, behind Anil Kumble, Ashwin has called time on a 14-year career during which he played 106 Tests, the last of which was the day-night game in Adelaide earlier in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The fastest bowler to 250, 300 and 350 Test scalps, Ashwin finishes with an overall tally of 537 that puts him seventh on the all-time list of highest wicket-takers in Test history. "This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level," he said appearing alongside Rohit Sharma in a press conference at the end of the Brisbane Test."I do feel there is a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to expose that probably... showcase that in clubs that are in cricket, but this will be the last day. I had a lot of fun. "I must say I created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates. Even though I lost some of them over the last few years, we are the last bunch of OGs, if you can say that, left out of the dressing room. I would be marking this as my date of having played at this level. "Obviously, there are a lot of people to thank, but I would be failing in my duties if I didn't thank the BCCI and the fellow teammates. I want to name a few of them. All the coaches who have been a part of the journey. "Most importantly, Rohit, Virat [Kohli], Ajinkya [Rahane], [Cheteshwar] Pujara, who have taken those catches around the back to give me the number of wickets I have managed to get over the years. Also, a big thank you to the Australian cricket team, who have been very fierce competitors. I have enjoyed my time playing against them," he added. Ashwin's count of 37 five-wicket hauls in Tests, including one on debut, is joint-second best alongside Shane Warne, and only behind Muttiah Muralitharan's tally of 67. At the time of his retirement, Ashwin holds the record for dismissing most left-handers in Test cricket - 268. A handy batter lower down the order, he has also scored 3503 runs in Test cricket, including six centuries and 14 fifties. He holds the Indian record for most instances (4) of a century and a fifer in the same Test, only behind Ian Botham (5). Ashiwn, who debuted for India in the longest format in 2011 against West Indies, is one of only three Test allrounders in the game to finish with more than 3000 Test runs and 500 wickets. He won the Man of the Series award 11 times - joint-highest alongside Muralitharan - with India winning on each occasion. A member of the 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy winning Indian team, Ashwin also played 116 one-dayers for India, claiming 156 wickets at an economy of 4.93 and average 33.20. He also made 707 runs in the format. He was also capped 65 times in T20Is and claimed 72 wickets in the shortest format. Ashwin was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award by the Indian government in 2015 and following a successful 2015-16 year, he was adjudged the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year Award as well as the Men's Test Cricketer of the Year award in 2016. He was also named in the ICC Test Team of the Decade 2011-20. Bought for INR 9.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, Ashiwn is set to return to CSK in the coming season. He is also likely to continue playing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and other club-level cricket.