Abhinav Mukund recalls chat which made him suspect Ashwin's retirement

On December 18 (Wednesday), after the final day of the Gabba Test, Ravichandran Ashwin dropped a bombshell by announcing his international retirement in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

For many, the decision came as a shock and took them by surprise as the off-spinner had been a part of the team’s playing XI in the Adelaide Test and was primed to play in the fifth Test in Sydney. However, the call did not come as a big surprise for Ashwin's former teammate Abhinav Mukund. 

He recalled a chat with Ashwin a couple of months back during the home season, which made him think that the 38-year-old’s retirement was around the corner.

“I almost had this feeling before he toured Australia. When I saw him last at the Chepauk during the first Test between India and Bangladesh, we were actually chatting about how our journeys have come along,” Mukund told Sportstar.

“And I could see that he has become more like a family person now.

“His daughters are growing up, and it gets really hard to actually stay away from family on such long tours. Especially with a full calendar around and with the kids growing up. I almost sensed it then, ‘oh, I can’t believe it, but Ashwin now actually enjoys his family time more than the time on the field.’…”

But Mukund did express a bit of disappointment, as he hoped Ashwin would call it a day after the World Test Championship (WTC) Final.

“I really wished and hoped that he would go this big route of these 10 Test matches [three against New Zealand, five against Australia and the WTC final if India makes it], and then, maybe, come home and call it a day,” he said.

There’s been word that Ashwin sped up his retirement process after being overlooked for the Brisbane Test. While the veteran did play in Adelaide, he was snubbed in Perth to accommodate Washington Sundar. Certain reports claimed that the constant overlooking rubbed Ashwin the wrong way.

READ: Ashwin’s retirement - Forced by the management or a decision driven by practicality?

But Mukund disagreed, insisting that the off-spinner would never make such calls hastily. He said that Ashwin, in his head, would have planned the retirement long back.

“Sometimes, these things are not made out of haste. These things are sometimes made out of the fact that, ‘Oh, you are done’. And, when you are done, you are done. I guess that was the feeling in his head,” Mukund said.

“I am pretty certain he has been thinking about it for a while. And this has come maybe out of the blue for a lot of people. But I think he was thinking about it for a while, and he has finally made the call.”

These last few years, apart from being an international cricketer, Ashwin has also been an analyst and vlogger on YouTube aside from coaching hundreds of young players at his academy. Now, post-retirement, Mukund expects the 38-year-old to involve himself everywhere, including commentary. 

“He will be in commentary, he will be in coaching, he will be on YouTube. If I know him really well, I think he will take up a role with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association as well. He is going to do anything and everything under the sun. You cannot keep him away from the sport. He is a proper cricket nerd. For all you know, he will get into analytics and technology and all of that,” Mukund said.

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