R Ashwin's explosive confession to Rahul Dravid on Test retirement: 'Sitting out eventually got to me… what am I doing?'

Rahul Dravid was the latest guest on Ravichandran Ashwin’s ‘Kutti Stories’ series on his Youtube channel, and the chance to reconnect with an old teammate and coach gave the now-retired off-spinner to talk about what went behind his surprise decision to announce his surprise retirement in December 2024. Ravichandran Ashwin announced his shock retirement during the Gabba Test in last year's Border-Gavaskar Trophy.(PTI)

Speaking to Dravid about the closing chapters of the Wall’s career, the question was then turned on the off-spinner, who was asked why he stepped away from the game in such a fashion, with minimal fuss and ceremony.

“I think it was just the time, and where I stood in my life, right? I think I was pretty old, I must admit,” joked Ashwin, who was India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket when he announced his retirement in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“But going on tours, and you know, having to just sit out a lot more, eventually got to me,” explained Ashwin. The tendency Ashwin had of suddenly seeing himself benched was a frustration for himself and for fans, particularly on overseas tours, where he became the victim of teams being picked depending on conditions.

Ashwin already pictured retiring at 34-35 years old

Ashwin announced his immediate retirement during the Gabba Test in Brisbane. However, he clarified in this interview that it was a personal decision to allow him to spend more time with his family, rather than due to any vendetta with the team.

“I mean, not in terms of not wanting to contribute to the team, but you're thinking if I would rather be at home, spending time with children. They are also growing up, and what am I actually doing?” said the off-spinner.

“In my head, I always decided that I would retire at 34-35,” he further revealed. Ashwin did take himself out of the picture for international cricket, but maintained he wasn’t done with cricket, and would be happy to continue playing in domestic cricket, with its promise of more flexibility and more time spent at home.

Ashwin also spoke about how it was important for him to take a break from cricket just to re-establish that connect with it, something that was suggested to him by Dravid in the moment as well: “Sometimes, being there in a certain situation and withdrawing yourself, giving yourself a break from the whole environment can trigger your passion once again to come back,” explained India’s stalwart all-rounder.

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