‘If I am Not Needed…’: Rohit Sharma REVEALS Ashwin’s Words Before Confirming Retirement

India captain Rohit Sharma revealed the conversation he had with veteran spinner R. Ashwin before the latter retired. Moments after the third Test at Brisbane ended in a draw on Wednesday, Ashwin confirmed that he would be retiring from international cricket. But, even before the series started, rumours were doing the rounds about this announcement. Rohit said he heard the talk around this when he arrived in Perth. The 38-year-old has retired as India’s second-most successful bowler with 507 wickets in 106 Tests. After the game, Rohit said that Ashwin told him if he was not required then he would say goodbye. 

“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.

Meanwhile, the third Test has ended in a draw. The series is locked at 1-1.