Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was recently dropped from the Indian playing XI for the World Test Championship final, has revealed that he contemplated retiring from international cricket in 2023. Ashwin, who is currently the ICC No.1 ranked Test bowler, was left out of the playing XI in favor of four pacers. Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar expressed their disappointment over this move by the team management.
Ashwin, who has played 92 Tests and has picked up 474 wickets in red-ball cricket, explained that his knee injury had worsened since the Test series in Bangladesh in December. He had considered retirement after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year.
Ashwin has been one of India’s best performers in Test cricket in recent years, but his exclusion from the playing XI has raised questions about India’s team selection. The Indian cricket team is always under scrutiny and this decision has not been taken positively by the media and cricket fans alike.
Despite the disappointment, Ashwin has remained positive and attributed the injury to playing on flat surfaces. He believes that with proper rest and rehabilitation, he can continue performing at the highest level for India. This announcement is therefore not a retirement but a revelation about the thoughts he had when his knee injury got worse.
Ashwin’s decision to speak out about his injury and his contemplation of retirement highlights the need for proper player management by the team management. Injuries are a reality in cricket, and players should be given enough rest and time to recover for their bodies to heal naturally.
In conclusion, players, teams, and audiences alike should focus on the importance of player management and rest, especially after the COVID pandemic and the effect it has had on schedules and personal lives. We wish Ashwin a speedy recovery and our best wishes to the Indian cricket team.