Ravichandran Ashwin Retires From International Cricket

India's ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has announced his retirement after the end of the third test at the Gabba in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Ashwin is the second-highest wicket-taker for India in test cricket with 537 wickets behind Anil Kumble(619) Ashwin played the last of his test matches in the pink ball test at the Adelaide Oval which India lost by 10 wickets. Ashwin is the fastest bowler who has picked up 250, 300 & 350 wickets in test cricket. Overall, Ashwin has played 106 test matches for India picking 537 wickets putting him at the 7th spot in terms of highest wickets in test cricket.

Ashwin also featured in 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is for India, taking 156 and 72 wickets respectively. A handy batter in the lower order, Ashwin also has 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).

End Of An Era!

"This is my last day as an International Cricketer for India, today, I'm announcing my retirement from all forms of the game, Ashwin said in the post-match press conference sitting alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, I still feel that I've something to offer as a player, but, I'll be using that energy at the club level & the domestic levels" Ashwin stated

"I can proudly say that I have created a lot of memories while sharing the dressing room with Rohit and others who have now retired, I can say we are the last batch of the OG group, who are left in that dressing room, today, I'll mark my date as the last day I played Cricket for India"

"Yes obviously, there are plenty of people to thank for all this, I'll fail as a player if I forget to mention the BCCI, the coaches & the players who have supported and backed me through thick and thin all these years"

"I would like to thank Rohit, Virat, Ajinkya & Cheteshwar Pujara who have plucked those catches in the slips or on the sides of the field to give me plenty of wickets, in the end, I would also like to thank the Australian Cricket Team who have one of the fierce competitors, I have enjoyed my time playing against you guys" 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 the left-handed batters most times in test cricket-268.

Ashwin made his test debut for India in 2011 against the West Indies at home. Ashwin is one of the few all-rounders who has scored more than 3000 thousand test runs & picked up 500 test wickets. Ashwin has won 11 Man of the Series awards the joint most with Muttiah Muralitharan. India emerged victorious on all the occasions where Ashwin won the Man of the Series awards.

A member of the 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy-winning Indian team, Ashwin also featured in 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is for India, taking 156 and 72 wickets respectively. With the bat, Ashwin scored 707 runs & 184 runs in the two white-ball formats respectively.

Ashwin was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award by the Indian government in 2015 and following a successful 2015-16 year, he was adjudicated with 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 a member of the team in ICC's test team of the decade 2011-20.

Ashwin was bought by the Chennai Super Kings in the mega auction at INR 9.75 Crores, marking his return to the Chennai setup after 11 years. He is also set to feature at the domestic level for Tamil Nadu & in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.

Let's have a look at some of the test records of Ravichandran Ashwin after his retirement at the conclusion of the Gabba test.

Ashwin's Records In Test Cricket

1. Second highest wicket take for India (537 wickets), seventh highest overall

2. 37 five-wicket hauls, the joint second most with Shane Warne and only behind Muttiah Muralitharan (67)

3. Dismissed most left-handers in Test cricket (268)

4. Joint most POTS awards (11) alongside Muttiah Muralitharan

5. Best SR for a spinner in Tests with a minimum of 200 wickets (50.7)

6. Four times he has scored a century and picked up a five-wicket haul in a Test, second most behind Ian Botham's five

7. Never missed a Test match at home