Ravichandran Ashwin has finally broken his silence on the controversial statement made by his father, Ravichandran, following his sudden retirement from international cricket. He retired from the game just after India’s third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 ended in a draw against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane on December 18.
With two matches remaining in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, Ashwin, the world’s leading active wicket-taker with 537 dismissals in Test cricket, shocked everyone by calling time on his international career and taking the flight to Chennai on the same day.
Ravichandran Ashwin breaks silence on father’s controversial remarks on his retirement
On Thursday, December 19, the star all-rounder’s father, Ravichandran, revealed that he got to know about his son’s decision at the last minute and surprisingly said that ‘humiliation’ may be one of the reasons behind his sudden retirement. The emotional father also questioned, “How long can he just tolerate all those things?”
This statement added fuel to the fire, as there were already speculations that all was not well with him in the Indian cricket team, with many claiming he was under pressure to take the call.
Notably, Ravichandran Ashwin was picked in only one of the three Tests in the BGT 2024-25 series so far, and he was mostly overlooked for the overseas Tests, preferring Ravindra Jadeja due to his superior batting ability.
Request you all to forgive him and leave him alone: Ashwin to media and fans
After his father’s statement spread like wildfire and various kinds of news started creating a ruckus in the media, Ravichandran Ashwin broke his silence on the controversial statement by his father.
While fans and media dissected every word of his father’s statement, the legendary spinner stepped in to lighten the mood with his signature wit. Taking to his social media handle X, Ashwin said that his father “isn’t media trained” and requested everyone to “forgive him and leave him alone.”
He posted on X: “My dad isn’t media trained; dey father enna da ithelaam. I never thought you would follow this rich tradition of “dad statements.” Request you all to forgive him and leave him alone.”
My dad isn’t media trained, dey father enna da ithelaam 😂😂.
I never thought you would follow this rich tradition of “dad statements” .🤣
Request you all to forgive him and leave him alone 🙏 https://t.co/Y1GFEwJsVc
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) December 19, 2024
Ravichandran Ashwin shares a screenshot of a memorable call log with Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev
He also shared another post on social media to share a heartfelt moment from the last day of his career as an Indian cricketer. Reflecting on how far he has come as a cricketer, Ashwin posted about the emotional significance of seeing legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev on his call log that day.
Expressing his gratitude, Ashwin described it as a moment he couldn’t have imagined 25 years ago.
Sharing the screenshot, Ravichandran Ashwin posted on X: “If someone told me 25 years ago that I would have a smartphone with me and the call log on the last day of my career as an Indian cricketer would look like this ☺️☺️, I would have had a heart attack then only. Thanks, @sachin_rt and @therealkapildev paaji🙏🙏 #blessed.”
If some one told me 25 years ago that I would have a smart phone with me and the call log on the last day of my career as an Indian cricketer would look like this☺️☺️, I would have had a heart attack then only. Thanks @sachin_rt and @therealkapildev paaji🙏🙏 #blessed pic.twitter.com/RkgMUWzhtt
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) December 20, 2024
Notably, Ashwin will continue to play in the Indian Premier League, where he will return to play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2025 and club cricket after retiring from international cricket.