Just a day after announcing his retirement from international cricket, legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has publicly stated that he has no chance of leading the Indian team. Ashwin bid farewell to the sport in Indian colors hours after the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday. He represented the national team in 116 ODIs, 106 Tests and 65 T20Is, taking over 750 wickets. However, he never got a chance to lead the Indian team in any format.
Since Ashwin made his Test debut in 2011, six different players – MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah – have led India in the tournament. The list for the white-ball games is even bigger. However, Ashwin insisted he had no regrets, adding that he was “never ready” to handle the pressure of captaincy.
“I can’t captain anymore. I have zero regrets about not captaining India. I have seen from a distance that a lot of people have regrets. I was not prepared for that kind of life. No regrets at all,” Ashwin told New Delhi Television.
Ashwin hinted at lack of motivation when he decided to retire.
“For me, earlier before going to bed, I used to remember runs scored and wickets falling. But in the last two years, nothing has happened. It was a clear indication that we have to move on to the next path. I Just go the other way,” he added.
Ashwin arrived at the Madras International Airport in Chennai early on Thursday morning and was escorted out by National Cricket Association officials.
The 38-year-old did not address the waiting media as he jumped into his car, where his wife Prithi and two daughters were waiting for him.
However, when he returned home and was surrounded by his parents and other closed-minded people, Ashwin did comply with the demands of waiting journalists to go public with his decision.
“For a lot of people it’s an emotion, and maybe[at some point]it’s accepted, but for me personally it’s a huge sense of relief and satisfaction. It’s very instinctive, It’s been running in my head for years.
(Including PTI input)
Topics mentioned in this article