Ravichandran Ashwin bids farewell: Emotional social media reactions flood in as fans share love-filled music clips; WATCH

New Delhi: Indian cricket fans were left shocked as Ravichandran Ashwin, the team's talismanic spinner, announced his retirement from international cricket following the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday. The news was shared during a press conference after the match ended in a draw, with Ashwin appearing alongside captain Rohit Sharma. The spinner had featured in the second Test in Adelaide but was replaced by Ravindra Jadeja for the Brisbane match.

The star cricketer posts his retirement post on X:

The love we give away is the only love we keep. pic.twitter.com/kfkGjGfNE7

— Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) December 18, 2024

Love the song you have used from Lubber Bandu, so meaningful to this context, Thank you Ash anna for all the memories, would love to see you in commentary, pre match and post match analysis etc soon to hear lot of kutti stories @ashwinravi99

— Godin (@CFC_ThalaDinesh) December 18, 2024

“I won’t take too much of your time. Today will be the last day for me as an India cricketer,” Ashwin said at the end of the drawn third Test here in a joint press conference with captain Rohit Sharma during which he declined to take any questions and left after making the announcement.

Since his debut in 2011, R Ashwin has featured in 106 Test matches for India, playing a pivotal role in securing numerous wins for the team. With an impressive total of 537 wickets in Tests, Ashwin has accomplished the remarkable feat of taking five or more wickets in an innings 37 times, making him the second player globally to achieve this in Test cricket history. Beyond his exceptional bowling, Ashwin has also made valuable contributions with the bat, amassing 3503 runs, which include 6 centuries and 14 half-centuries.