Ravichandran Ashwin proudly says he has answered his call from cricket after bringing the curtain down on his career with India.
The 38-year-old announced his retirement from international cricket after a glittering 14-year career in which he took 765 international wickets in all formats and became the seventh highest Test wicket-taker of all time.
Talk exclusively to Sky Sports Cricket PodcastAshwin revealed how his deep passion for cricket not only improved him as a player but also gave meaning to his life.
“I did everything I could, even though I knew it wasn't the common or accepted way,” he said. “My journey is my entire journey.
“I've seen a lot of cricketers over the years with exceptional skill and talent, but being able to articulate it or teach someone else about it is something very unique and doesn't come to people unless they discover it for themselves.
“The amount of exploring I had to do to be so successful has left me with a wide range of knowledge to be able to confidently say that this is a game that I love and that I can explore and talk savagely about for the rest of my life.
“I don't regret that I had to do it the hard way, but it left me with the idea that the game was my calling. People find their purpose at different stages of their lives but I'm also happy that this game found me and gave me meaning to life.
“I have played Test cricket for so long that it has taught me how to build and live my life. It is the most beautiful thing that has happened to me.”
Ashwin subsequently announced his retirement India tied with Australia in the Brisbane TestIt is a game he was not chosen for.
He revealed that he had considered retiring in the past but finally made the decision when his creativity could no longer be fulfilled.
The cricketer in me is not done yet and I imagine I will be doing a lot more in the next few years. The label of being an Indian cricketer can be overwhelming. Now that's off my back, I have a path to explore more over the next few years, as long as my body allows me to.
“I've never been someone who clings to things, and I've never felt insecure in life,” he added. “I don't think that what is mine today will be mine tomorrow. Maybe that's been one of the factors of upliftment all these years.
“I always wanted to leave things behind as carelessly as I could because I don't believe in people celebrating me, I don't believe in the attention we sometimes get in India. It's the game that has always been in front of me, all the time.
“I've thought about (retiring) many times. For me, the day I woke up and felt like the creative side of me had no future or direction, that would be the day I would quit. I suddenly felt like that.” The creative side didn't have a lot of positives to explore.”
Having finished his career as India's second-highest Test wicket-taker (537) and hitting six hundred and 14 half-centuries, Ashwin reflected on a watershed moment during England's 2012 tour of India that helped mold him into the player he became.
In the second Test in Mumbai, Ashwin scored figures of 2-145 and was bowled around the Wankhede Stadium by Kevin Pietersen, who top-scored with 186, as England cruised to a 10-wicket win to level the series.
It left an indelible impact on Ashwin, who added: “I have one regret in life. I know KP is a very proud man, I have seen him talk a lot about the way he brought us down in Mumbai.
“Very early in my career, in my formative years, things that went wrong on the artistic side set me on a path to excellence.
“I wanted to face KP every time after that. He's a great batsman but anyone who didn't have a really sound defense was someone I liked because I'm very good at picking players who get out, players who sweep.
“In that particular series against KP and Alastair Cook, one of the best batsmen I've ever bowled, my hand alignment was so bad. My left leg was so far back that I couldn't get my length right at all.”
“For the rest of my career, since 2012, it's been all about finding different solutions. I'm very grateful for the series to have gone the way it has, because if it hadn't, I probably wouldn't have put myself on the right path.” Excellence as a bowler because excellence as a bowler is an internal matter, not an external thing.”
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