'If I'm not needed, I'm better off...': Rohit Sharma reveals R Ashwin's words before retirement

Rohit Sharma reveals conversation with R Ashwin. (Photo: AP)

One of India's greatest bowlers, R Ashwin announced retirement from international cricket on December 18 and it came as a shocker to everyone around the globe who follows cricket. Ashwin, 38, made the announced with his captain Rohit Sharma sitting next to him in the post-match press conference after the third Test between India and Australia ended in a draw at the Gabba.

India skipper was loss for words after Ashwin announced retirement and he called the spinner one of the "biggest match-winners" to play for India. Rohit even revealed that he knew about the decision after arriving in Perth and added that he convinced Ashwin to wait till the Pink-ball Test in Adelaide.

Watch: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma bid emotional farewell to R Ashwin with warm hugs

"Speaking about Ash, he was very very sure about this decision. I heard this when I came to Perth. Obviously, I was not there for the first three or four days of the Test match, but this was on his mind since then. There are obviously a lot of things that went behind it; I'm pretty sure, Ash, when he went in position, will be able to answer that," Rohit told reporters at the post-match press conference.

"He understands what the team is thinking. He understands what kind of combinations we are thinking of. When we came here as well, we were not sure about which spinner was going to play. We just wanted to assess and see what kind of conditions we get in front of us, But yeah, when I arrived in Perth, this was a chat we had, and I somehow convinced him to stay for that pink ball Test," he added.

Speaking further in his tribute, Rohit said, "It just happened so that if you know where he felt that, 'if I'm not needed right now in the series, I'm better off. Saying goodbye to the game, but obviously, we've not been to Melbourne yet, so we don't know what sort of conditions we expect there and what sort of combination, but just keeping Ash in particularly in mind, giving him that respect that this if this is what he thinks, we should allow him to think that way and we should all stand by."

R Ashwin: One of the greatest ever

Ashwin's retirement comes as a surprise, given his consistent wicket-taking performances in recent years. Notably, he was the first bowler to claim 100 wickets in the World Test Championship, achieving the milestone in March 2022. The off-spinner departs as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament's history across three editions, amassing an impressive total of 195 dismissals. With 37 five-wicket hauls in Tests, Ashwin ranks second only to Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan, who recorded 67 fifers in the format.

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Ashwin holds the record for the most Player of the Series awards in Test cricket, with 11 to his name. He was also the second-fastest bowler to reach 500 Test wickets, achieving the milestone in just 98 matches in February 2024. Remarkably, he remains the quickest to reach 250, 300, and 350 Test wickets. Ashwin retires after featuring in only one match of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he was part of the playing XI for the Adelaide pink-ball Test, claiming a solitary wicket. Over his illustrious career, Ashwin represented India in 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, accumulating an impressive 765 wickets across all formats.