Ravichandran Ashwin breaks speculations on Gautam Gambhir being ‘Responsible’ for the Star-spinner’s retirement

Legendary India spinner R Ashwin denied the reports of head coach Gautam Gambhir being the reason for him announcing his retirement, and said that the decision to retire was completely his own decision.

Legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made a sudden announcement about his retirement from international cricket in the middle of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He hung his boots from all forms of international cricket on December 18, 2024, after the third Test at Gabba ended on a draw due to rain.

Soon after Ashwin’s retirement, reports came out suggesting that head coach Gautam Gambhir is responsible for this sudden retirement decision by the veteran spinner, especially when there were some conversations between the two before he bid farewell to international cricket.

Ashwin, who has travelled back to India as of now, said that the decision to retire was completely his own decision, and only marked the end of his international cricket journey.

“I quit this part of my life. It was a full stop to that part of my life. I can talk cricket, I do YouTube, I love coaching. I can keep myself happy around cricket. I will stay connected with cricket,” Ashwin said during a conversation with television presenter Gobinath on a YouTube show.

“I don’t have any regrets; I am not angry at anyone. I didn’t cry even one bit. No one else is responsible for my retirement. If there’s someone, I am not aware of it,” he added.

Ashwin will now be seen playing with players such as MS Dhoni in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has bought him in the mega auctions that took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.