Ravichandran Ashwin: India spinner announces retirement from international cricket with immediate effect | Cricket news

India’s Ravichandran Ashwin has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect, ending a career in which he claimed 765 wickets for his country across all formats.

Ashwin, 38, made the announcement after India’s draw with Australia in the Brisbane Test, a match for which he was not selected.

He said, “This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at international level.

“I feel like I’ve got a bit of punch left as a cricketer, but I’d like to express that, show that in cricket at club level.”

Ashwin is India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker, with his 537 scalps behind only Anil Kumble (619), while he claimed 156 ODI wickets and 72 in T20 Internationals.

The Chennai-born player also made 3,503 Tests, with six hundreds and 14 half-centuries.

Ashwin, who is the seventh highest run-getter in men’s Test cricket, added: “I had a lot of fun.

“I have a lot of memories with Rohit (Sharma) and several of my teammates, although we have lost some of them (to retirement) over the last few years.

“We are the last group of OGs, we can say that. I will mark this as my date of having played at this level.

“Obviously there are a lot of people to thank, but I will be remiss in my duties if I don’t thank the BCCI and the teammates.

“Most importantly, Rohit, Virat (Kohli), Ajinkya (Rahane), (Cheteshwar) Pujara, who have taken some of the catches around the bat and given me the number of wickets I have taken over the years” .