However, just as the dust was about to settle on Ashwin’s retirement, his father, Ravichandran, made an explosive claim, hinting that his son was perhaps ‘humiliated’. Ravichandran, while talking about Ashwin’s decision to retire, mentioned that while he and the family were informed with little time left on the clock, the decision when made official, made him ‘not feel anything’.

“I too came to know last minute, actually. What was going on in his mind, I don’t know. He just announced. I too, accepted it with full pleasure. I did not have any feelings at all about that. But the way he gave his retirement, one part I was very happy, another part not happy because he should have continued,” he told CNN News18.

“(Retiring) is his (Ashwin’s) wish and desire, I cannot interfere in that, but the way in which he gave that, there could be many reasons. Only Ashwin knows, maybe humiliation.”

Why humiliated?

The word ‘humiliation’ could possibly stem from Ashwin’s struggle to maintain his place in India’s Playing XI in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) Nations. While he has been undroppable at home – Ashwin hasn’t missed a single Test on home soil since his debut – since 2021, the former spinner played just six Tests across England, South Africa and Australia.

Secondly, while nothing is on record, India went ahead with Washington Sundar ahead of Ashwin in the series opener of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which could have pinched India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests. Hence, Ravichandran was expecting Ashwin’s retirement, saying it was only a matter of time.

“Definitely, no doubt about it (being emotional for the family), because he was on the field for 14-15 years. The sudden change – retirement – gave us really kind of a shock. At the same time, we were expecting it because humiliation was going on. How long he can tolerate all those things? Probably, he would have decided on his own,” Ravichandran said.