"I could have played a bit more but.." Ravi Ashwin opens up on sudden retirement

Ravi Ashwin finished his test cricket career with 537 wickets.

Ravi Ashwin’s sudden decision to retire from international cricket in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Australia took many by surprise.

The star Indian all-rounder, who was a crucial reason for India’s dominance in test cricket for a dozen years, finished his test career with 537 wickets at an average of 24. In addition to his bowling statistics, he also scored 3,503 test runs at an average of 25, with six centuries.

His contribution in the limited-overs cricket saw him take 228 wickets—156 in ODIs and 72 in T20Is. He was also part of India’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013 winning teams.

Post Ashwin’s retirement, fans flooded social media with emotional tributes with many suggesting that the legendary off-spinner could have continued playing for a couple of more years.

Now, the star all-rounder has broken his silence on the matter.

Ravi Ashwin opens up on sudden retirement

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin mentioned that he feels he could have played more but emphasized that it’s better to leave when people ask “why” instead of “why not.”

Ashwin said, “I felt there was still strength in my cricket and that I could have played a bit more. But it’s always better to leave when people ask ‘why’ rather than ‘why not’,“

The 38-year-old stated that he carries no regrets from his career and acknowledged the valuable lessons the game taught him.

He added, “I’ve played cricket for many years and learned one thing: not everything goes the way you want it to. We often think, ‘this could have been better’ or ‘that should have happened.’ But I have no regrets about my career.“

“I’ve taken lessons from both my failures and successes. I’ve always played for the joy the game brings me, and I will continue to do so as long as that joy remains.”

Ashwin will be seen playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League 2025 season.

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