As R Ashwin calls it a day, here are five other cricketers whose retirements stunned the world - In images
Published on Dec 21, 2024 04:14 PM IST
- Not many would've seen Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement coming but the Indian spin legend joins a list of great players who unexpectedly called it quits.
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Published on Dec 21, 2024 04:14 PM IST
While Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement was an unexpected development, with speculation about it happening just under an hour before the actual announcement itself, it only joins the long list of cricket greats who announced their retirement from either all formats of the game or less.
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Published on Dec 21, 2024 04:14 PM IST
When MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020, it was met with a wave of nostalgia and tribute, but not surprise. That wasn't the case when he retired from Test cricket though, just after India's third match against Australia on December 30, 2014 in Melbourne with one more game to go on the tour. Dhoni had received some criticism as captain for the team's horrendous run of form away from home and their series defeat to England at home. But quitting Test cricket altogether made a bit of a vaccum for India to fill in the wicketkeeper-batter role, for which Dhoni was very much the best candidate by far in all formats at the time. Dhoni was batting on 24 when what turned out to be his final Test was called off early at the MCG - four overs were left and India had four wickets in hand - and he made no mention of his retirement during the customary captain's press conference at the end of the match. The announcement was made via a BCCI press release. Ravi Shastri, the team's director at the time, said that none of the players or coaching staff had any idea about it when Dhoni announced it to them in a five-minute speech.(Getty Images)
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The last part of AB de Villiers' international career was up and down. While his performances never really dipped, there were questions on his commitment to playing for South Africa, particularly in Test cricket. That wasn't the case just before he announced his retirement from international cricket on May 23, 2018 in a long video that he posted on his social media channels. "After 114 Test matches, 228 ODIs and 78 T20 Internationals, it is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I am tired," he said in the video. De Villiers had playd just four Tests in the two prior years but in 2018, he had very much made a comeback to the longest format, scoring 638 runs at an average of 53.16 with one century and six half-centuries in 14 innings. Unforunately for fans of Mr.360, that was the last they saw of him in whites and in South African colours.(AFP)
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After his fallout with Greg Chappell at the turn of the year in 2005/06, Sourav Ganguly's international career never really went back to the way it was before the Australian had become head coach of the Indian team. He was recalled to the team November 2008 for their three-Test series against South Africa and was then surprisingly dropped from the team for the tri-nation CB Series in Australia despite being in good nick. This led to questions over whether the BCCI selectors are forcing the senior players in the squad to retire early, something Test captain Anil Kumble, himself one of those seniors, rubbished. Finally, Ganguly said almost as an afterthought in a press conference two days before India's first Test against Australia that he is retiring after this series. "Just one last thing lads, before I leave, I just want to say that this is going to be my last series," Ganguly said after taking the last question of his press conference. "I've decided to quit. I told my team-mates before coming here. These four Test matches are going to be my last and hopefully we'll go on a winning note." Two days later, he admitted that the decision was made because he was "tired of being humiliated again and again." "If there is a gun to your head all the time, how long can you bear this? After all, I have played 400 matches for India. I have played badly in only one series. Yet every Tom, Dick and Harry is playing in the team," he said.(AFP)
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Laxman admitted that he himself didn't know that he would retire just a few weeks before he made the announcement on August 18, 2012. Unlike Ganguly or Rahul Dravid, Laxman hadn't endured being dropped from the side in different formats frequently before finally hanging up his boots. However, he was subject to criticism due to his poor form in India's disastrous tours of England and Australia in 2011. Laxman made the announcement in an emotional press conference, in which he made it clear that the criticism didn't play a role in his call.(AFP)
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Published on Dec 21, 2024 04:14 PM IST