Shocking details of Ravichandran Ashwin's sudden retirement to be revealed soon, claims Ex-Aussie star

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 saw one of the most shocking moments in cricket history when Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket midway through the five-match Test series that Australia won by a 3-1 margin against India last week.

Now, former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin has weighed in on Ravichandran Ashwin’s unexpected decision with a no-holds-barred analysis. Haddin pointed out India overlooked Ashwin for Washington Sundar for the Perth Test, and it hurt the ace off-spinner’s ego, and he suddenly decided to take a call on his international career during the third Test at the Gabba.

Brad Haddin explains the ego blow that led to Ravichandran Ashwin’s sudden exit from International Cricket

Notably, India experimented with their spin attack on the Australia tour, with Washington Sundar playing in the first Test, while Ashwin got the opportunity in the second Test before making way for Ravindra Jadeja in the third Test, and that dented his ego, and his pride took a hit.

Read Also: 'Can’t fix all flaws’: Indian team member breaks silence on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma skipping domestic cricket

Well, Brad Haddin suggested that Ravichandran Ashwin’s frustration boiled over as India rotated their spinners. Sundar got the nod for the opening Test, while the former all-rounder was brought back for the Adelaide Test, only to be replaced by Jadeja in Brisbane. However, India continued with Jadeja for the remainder of the BGT 2024-25.

The former Australian player believes that Ashwin’s mid-series retirement from international cricket was influenced by the frustration over not being recognized as India’s top spinner and Sundar was getting the chance ahead of him.

Ashwin retiring mid-series was a funny one: Brad Haddin

Brad Haddin noted that Ravichandran Ashwin, with his elite record, was unhappy about being rotated in and out of the team and decided to step away. He also hinted that there might be more reasons behind Ashwin’s retirement call.

Speaking on Willow Talk, Brad Haddin said, “Ashwin retiring mid-series was a funny one. I don't think we've heard the last of that yet. I think he was just joking about not getting picked. I think he sees himself as the number one spinner. His record is elite, and he just went, 'You know what? I'm not sitting on the bench. If you can't decide that I'm your best spinner, I'm done. I've played enough. I don't need this.' I don't think we have heard the end of that.”

Read Also: Virat Kohli's 'mental block' totally exposed by Ricky Ponting

Notably, Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement from international cricket revealed an unexpected coincidence that caught fans’ attention. Both his last Test and T20I matches ended in a similar manner at the same venue. His final Test was against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, where India suffered a 10-wicket defeat.

Adelaide Oval marks a bitter end to both Test and T20I careers of Ashwin

Similarly, Ashwin’s last T20I game was against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinals, also at the Adelaide Oval, where India lost by 10 wickets. Ashwin left behind an incredible legacy with 106 Tests, 537 wickets, 3,503 runs, and six centuries—an extraordinary all-round record. Ranked seventh on the all-time Test wicket-takers list, Ashwin remains a legend of the game.

He will continue to play in the IPL and domestic cricket. Notably, India could win only the first Test on the Australia tour and pulled off a draw in the third Test, while the hosts have won the three Tests to lift the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years.