Ravichandran Ashwin drops key reason behind his premature Test retirement

Seasoned Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that having to sit out of the playing XI on away tours eventually got to him, resulting in his retirement from Test matches during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia last year.

Ashwin is the only Indian bowler alongside Anil Kumble to have taken over 500 wickets in the longest format, but he surprised everyone by calling it quits from the longest fomrat after the Brisbane Test in December.

Special day and hence a special beginning.

They say every ending will have a new start, my time as an IPL cricketer comes to a close today, but my time as an explorer of the game around various leagues begins today????.

Would like to thank all the franchisees for all the…

— Ashwin ???????? (@ashwinravi99) August 27, 2025

“I was pretty old, I must admit. But going on tours, and having to just sit out (a) lot more, eventually got to me,” Ashwin told former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid in a chat on his YouTube channel.

“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? So I just felt like okay… In my head, I always decided that I would retire at 34-35. But just the fact that I could not play a lot in between…” he added.

Ashwin debuted in Test matches in November 2011, and represented the nation in 105 encounters in red-ball cricket. He was a key member of the squad that won the ODI World Cup in 2011, and also the Champions Trophy on English soil in 2013.