Speaking to Gulf News, Kapil admitted that he was quite vexed at Ashwin for retiring in the middle of the series, saying that he could have waited till the end of the Sydney game to take the call, but praised his contribution to Indian cricket.

“Ashwin is a very strong-headed guy. It’s good to see such characters in cricketers. I felt a little sad when he left in the middle of the tour. He was a great cricketer India has produced and served the game so well, but he should have waited and done it differently. Nevertheless, what he did for the country is unbelievable,” Kapil said.

Ashwin ends silence on the reason behind his retirement

Not only Kapil, his former India teammate Sunil Gavaskar too was disappointed with Ashwin’s act. On the other hand, former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary said that the senior bowler was “insulted,” while former India bowling coach Bharat Arun said he was ‘hurt’.

Speaking on his YouTube channel on Wednesday, Ashwin opened up about his retirement, which had sparked speculation about tensions in the dressing room and with the team management.

“I think a lot. What to do in life. You all need to understand, that this happens instinctively. If someone gets to know, that their job is done, once that thinking comes, there is nothing to think. People said a lot of things. I don’t think it is a big deal,” he said. “You think what happened? I did not play the first Test. I played the second, did not play the third. It was possible I could play the next or not play the next. This is a side of my creativity and I was looking to explore it. At that time, I felt my creativity was over, so it was over. It was simple.”

He also spoke on his decision not to play a farewell match. He said that he did not want to play that game if he did not deserve his place in the team.

“What difference will this make if I came out with the ball and people are clapping? How long will people talk about it? When social media was not there, people talked about it and forgot after one week. There is no need for a farewell. The game has given us a lot and we have played with a lot of happiness,” added Ashwin.