Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin believes Ravichandran Ashwin’s sudden decision to retire from international cricket was driven by his frustration at being repeatedly overlooked for selection in the playing XI. Ashwin, India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, announced his retirement after the third Test against Australia in Brisbane, a move that stunned the cricketing world.
Ashwin was omitted from the first Test in Perth but made a comeback for the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, where he managed only 29 runs across two innings and took a solitary wicket. However, he was dropped again for the third Test in Brisbane, with Ravindra Jadeja replacing him in the playing XI. On the final day of the match, Ashwin surprised everyone by announcing the end of his illustrious international career.
Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, Brad Haddin expressed his view that Ashwin’s decision stemmed from dissatisfaction with the team’s inconsistent selection approach.
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“In the first three Test matches, they played three different spinners. They arrived in Australia unsure of their strategy. It’s not a shock to face such challenges here—they’ve had success here before. Ashwin retiring mid-series felt strange. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of that. I think he was just fed up with not being picked,” Brad Haddin remarked.
Haddin further speculated that Ashwin, given his impressive record, saw himself as India’s premier spinner and felt undervalued by the management’s decisions. “He likely sees himself as the number one spinner, and rightly so—his record is elite. I think he decided, ‘If you can’t recognize me as your best spinner, I’m done. I’ve played enough. I don’t need this.’ I don’t think this story ends here,” Haddin added.
India went on to lose the series 1-3, surrendering the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.
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Ashwin retired with an exceptional career record, scoring 3,503 runs and claiming 537 wickets in 106 Test matches. In limited-overs cricket, he picked up 65 wickets in ODIs and 31 in T20Is. The Chennai-born spinner was also part of India’s victorious campaigns in the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, cementing his legacy as one of the game’s finest all-rounders.
