Ravichandran Ashwin is proud to say that he answered his call from cricket after bringing down the curtain on his storied career in India.
The 38-year-old off-spinner announced his retirement from international cricket after a glittering 14-yard career in which he took 765 international wickets across all formats to become the seventh-highest wicket-taker of all time.
Addressing exclusively Sky Sports Cricket podcastAshwin revealed how his deep-rooted passion for cricket not only improved him as a player but also gave meaning to his life.
“I just did my best, despite knowing it wasn't a popular or accepted method,” he said. “My journey is completely my own.
“I have seen many cricketers over the years with extraordinary skill and talent, but the ability to articulate or teach another person about it is something that is very unique and only comes to people if they have explored it themselves.
“The amount of research I've had to do to be very successful has left me with such a wide range of knowledge that I can confidently say this is a game I love and can research and brutally talk about for the rest of my life.
“I don't regret it because I had to do it the hard way, but it left me with the idea that acting is my calling. People find their calling at different stages of their lives, but I'm so glad that this game found me and she gave me the meaning of life.
“I played Test cricket for so long that it even taught me how to construct and live my life. It's the best thing that's happened to me.”
Ashwin then announced his retirement India vs Australia draw in Brisbane Testa game he was not selected for.
He revealed that he had considered retirement in the past, but finally made the decision when his creativity could no longer be fulfilled.
The cricketer in me is not finished, I visualize myself doing a lot more in the next few years. That label of being an Indian cricketer can be overwhelming. Now that's off my back, I have a path to explore a lot more over the next few years, as long as my body allows.
“I've never been a stickler for things, I've never felt insecure in life,” he added. “I don't believe that what is mine today will be mine tomorrow. That has probably been one of my uplifting factors all these years.
“I've always wanted to put things behind me as nonchalantly as possible because I don't believe in people celebrating me, I don't believe in the attention we sometimes get in India. It's a game that's always been in front of me, all the time.
“I thought about (retiring) a few times. For me, the day I woke up and felt that my creative side had no future or direction, that would be the day I gave it up. I suddenly felt that the creative side didn't have a lot of upside for me. research.”
After ending his career as India's second-highest Test wicket-taker (537) and scoring six hundreds and 14 half-centuries, Ashwin reflected on the watershed moment during England's 2012 tour of India that helped shape him into the player he has become.
In the second Test in Mumbai, Ashwin recorded figures of 2-145 and was dismissed from the Wankhede Stadium by Kevin Pietersen, who top-scored with 186 as England cruised to a 10-wicket victory to level the series.
It left an indelible mark on Ashwin, who added, “I have one regret in my life. I know KP is a very proud man, I have seen him talk a lot about how he demolished us in Mumbai.
“Very early in my career, in my formative years, things on the technical side that went wrong put me on the path to excellence.
“I wanted to fight KP every time after that. He's a great hitter, but anyone who hasn't had really good defense is someone I've loved because I'm very good at picking out players, players who sweep.
“In that particular series against KP and Alastair Cook, one of the best batsmen I've bowled with, my stances were so bad. My left leg was going so far that I couldn't get my length right at all.
“For the rest of my career, since 2012, it was all about finding different solutions. I'm very grateful that the series went that way, because if it hadn't happened, maybe I wouldn't have gone down the path of excelling as a bowler because being very internal , not external.”
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