'Don’t want to stay away from home, carrying drinks': Ravichandran Ashwin's bold remarks on his retirement

Ravichandran Ashwin has explained the reason behind his decision to retire from international cricket midway through the five-match Test series in Australia.

The veteran off-spinner shocked the cricketing world by announcing his decision to bring down curtains on his illustrious Test career when Team India were fighting it out against Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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He did not get a chance in India's playing eleven for the first Test in Perth but was recalled for the second Test in Adelaide. After India lost the Test in Adelaide, Ravichandran Ashwin was once again dropped from the playing eleven for the drawn Test in Brisbane.

After the conclusion of the game, he announced his decision to retire from every format of international cricket. More than two months after that decision, Ravichandran Ashwin has explained the reason behind it.

Speaking to RevSportz, the 38-year-old said that ever since he started playing cricket, he wanted to walk from the game on his own terms. He stated that he did not want to stay away from home just for the sake of carrying drinks.

Ravichandran Ashwin then went on to clarify his statement, saying that he did not mean to demean carrying drinks for the team. However, he also made it clear that he did not want to carry drinks for an extended period of time while also staying away from home.

"The moment I started playing cricket, I decided that it would be my decision to walk away. I stand against everything that is selfish for Indian cricket and sport. I don’t want to stay away from my home, carrying drinks. Make no mistake—I’m not demeaning it. I would be happy to carry drinks for CSK, but only for a specific time of the year," said Ravichandran Ashwin.

Even though Ravichandran Ashwin remained an integral part of India's Test team for more than a decade, he did struggle to get a regular chance in the playing eleven during overseas Tests. With the tour of England being India's next Test assignment, Ashwin decided to bring down the curtains on his glorious career.

Ashwin was also asked whether the Indian Test team is in a good state at present. In reply, he said: "The Indian Test team is in a much better position compared to the other Test teams. Senior players need to be around to guide the youngsters. Batters don’t win you a Test series alone. Bowlers need to step up. Where is the next Bumrah and Shami?"

Ravichandran Ashwin's illustrious Test career:

Ravichandran Ashwin bowed out of Test cricket as one of India's greatest match-winners. He finished his career as India's second-highest wicket-taker behind only the legendary Anil Kumble. Ashwin played 106 Tests and picked up 537 wickets.

He also made a big impact with the bat in Tests. Ashwin scored 3503 runs with six hundreds and 14 fifties. During his illustrious career, he also won a record 11 Player-of-the-Series awards.

While Ashwin has retired from international cricket, he will continue playing in the IPL and club cricket. He will be playing for Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming IPL season.