Former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin has given his straightforward thoughts on Ravichandran Ashwin’s surprising decision to retire from international cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series. According to Haddin, Ashwin’s decision stemmed from feeling sidelined after India chose Washington Sundar over him for the first Test.

Talking about the series, where Australia defeated India 3-1, Haddin shared his perspective on Ashwin’s mid-series retirement after the third Test in Brisbane. The sudden announcement shocked fans and raised questions about Ashwin’s mindset. Haddin believes the veteran spinner felt undervalued and frustrated over not being recognized as India’s top spinner.

“Ashwin retiring in the middle of the series was unexpected. I don’t think we’ve heard the full story yet. To me, it looked like he was fed up with not being picked. Ashwin sees himself as the best spinner in the team—his career stats back that up. I think he just decided, ‘If you can’t see I’m your number one spinner, I’m done. I’ve played enough cricket, and I don’t need to sit on the bench,’” Haddin explained.

Throughout the series, India rotated their spinners in the playing XI. Washington Sundar was chosen for the first Test but was replaced by Ashwin for the second match. However, Ashwin was dropped again for the third Test, with Ravindra Jadeja taking his place. This back-and-forth selection likely added to Ashwin’s frustration.

Interestingly, fans noticed a strange coincidence involving Ashwin’s final matches in different formats. His last Test match was against Australia at Adelaide Oval, where India suffered a heavy 10-wicket defeat. Similarly, his final T20I game for India was at the same venue during the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinals against England. In that match too, India lost by 10 wickets.

Ashwin’s retirement has sparked conversations about how players perceive their roles in the team and how selection decisions can impact even the most experienced cricketers. Whether this is the last we hear of Ashwin’s cricketing journey remains uncertain.