Ravichandran Ashwin's father reveals 'humiliation' led to his decision to retire: 'How long he can tolerate?'

Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement announcement caught fans by surprise, and as it turns out, it was just as unexpected for his father. In a recent interview, Ashwin's father shared that he only learned about the decision at the very last minute. He also hinted that the humiliation Ashwin endured might have played a role in his decision to retire, even as the 38-year-old spinner himself admitted in his retirement announcement that he still had "a little bit of punch" left in him.

'Humiliation was going on,' claims R Ashwin's father

In a candid interview with CNN News18, Ravichandran Ashwin's father opened up about the spinner's sudden retirement, revealing that the announcement caught even the family off-guard.

"I too came to know last minute, actually," he shared with CNN News18.

"What was going on in his mind, I don't know. He just announced. I too accepted it with full pleasure. I did not have any feeling at all for that. But the way he gave his retirement, one part I was very happy, another part not happy because he should have continued."

While Ashwin's decision was a shock, his father emphasised that it was ultimately his son's choice. "I cannot interfere in that, but the way in which he gave that, there could be many reasons. Only Ashwin knows, maybe humiliation," he added, emphasising, "The sudden change¡ªretirement¡ªgave us really kind of a shock. At the same time, we were expecting it because humiliation was going on. How long can he tolerate all those things? Probably, he would have decided on his own."

R Ashwin retires

Credit: BCCL

Ravichandran Ashwin has taken a total of 775 wickets across all formats, with 537 of them coming in Test cricket.

Hailing from Tamil Nadu, he is India's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests, trailing only Anil Kumble, who has 619 wickets.

Just hours after announcing his retirement, Ashwin was back in his hometown of Chennai.

Tamil Nadu: Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin returned to Chennai after announcing his retirement from international cricket. He made the announcement after the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. His wife and children welcomed him at the airport pic.twitter.com/SgiZ5wU1dC

¡ª IANS (@ians_india) December 19, 2024

According to a PTI report, the 38-year-old had been contemplating retirement after his underwhelming performance in the India-New Zealand Test series at home, where India suffered a 0-3 loss and Ashwin managed to take just nine wickets and was overshadowed by fellow Tamil Nadu spinner, Washington Sundar.

The report also suggests that Ashwin had informed the team management that he would not travel to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy if he was going to be left out of the playing XI.

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