The Gabba Test it ended on the spot when rain interrupted the play. However, as soon as the game was called off, the rest issue affected the outcome of the game. Ravichandran Ashwinthe legendary batsman who excelled in the Indian dressing room, bid farewell to all forms of international cricket. While the news of Ashwin's retirement may come as a surprise to many fans, this is not the first time that an Indian cricketer has hung up his boots amid an ongoing series.
Indian legends that took a break in the middle of the series
1) Ravi Shastri (1992)
No matter how good Ravi Shastri might be as a batsman for the Indian team in his time, the demise of the famous opener was far from what he expected. Shastri was struggling in the first two Test matches against South Africa when the Indian team visited the Proteas for a 7 match ODI and 4 match Test series in 1992-93. Shastri's knee injury was serious following the second Test in Johannesburg. He was battling a torn anterior cruciate ligament. His injury problems worsened after the third test in Gqeberha. With no recovery from his injuries, Shastri had to retire from cricket. He went for knee surgery but could not be fit during his career.
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2) Anil Kumble (2008)
India's off-spin wizard retired from international cricket in the 2008 Border-Gavaskar trophy. The then Indian captain suffered a finger injury on the third day of the Test match in Delhi. Following the tea break on the final day of the Test match, Kumble came up with his retirement announcement. The legend bowled four more overs after which the match was over. Kumble had a successful career in the national team with 619 wickets in Tests and 337 wickets in ODIs.
3) MS Dhoni (2014)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the most successful Indian captain ever. However, the announcement of his resignation surprised almost everyone. After the third Test match in Melbourne, the legendary Indian skipper revealed that he will not be playing Test cricket again anytime soon. Dhoni cited “all forms of playing” as the reason behind his sudden retirement. The captain of the Indian cricket team passed through the hands of Virat Kohli. However, India had already lost the series with the Aussies winning the first two Test matches and the third ending in a draw.
4) Ravichandran Ashwin (2024)
Ashwin's last match in the Indian national team was the second Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. Retirement plans were made with the start of the final day in Brisbane. With the video of Kohli and Ashwin's conversation doing the rounds on social media, it was clear who would retire after the Gabba Test. Ashwin had a coveted career with 765 wickets in all formats of the 6 Test Century which shows his importance as an all-rounder.