'The sudden change – retirement – gave us a shock. We were expecting it because humiliation was going on.'
Ravichandran, father of veteran off-spinner Ashwin, said he was caught off guard by his son's sudden retirement from international cricket, but stunningly hinted that there could be underlying reasons for it, including him feeling "humiliated".
Ashwin dropped a bombshell on Wednesday when he announced his retirement from top-flight cricket at the end of the drawn third Test against Australia in Brisbane.
“I too came to know at the last minute. The way in which he gave that (retirement), there could be many reasons. Only Ashwin knows; maybe humiliation,” Ravichandran told CNN News18.
Washington Sundar was picked ahead of the seasoned off-spinner, with 537 Test wickets, for the first Test in Perth before getting a place in the eleven for the Pink Ball Test at Adelaide.
However, Ashwin was again benched for the third Test at the ‘Gabba' as Ravindra Jadeja started in that match.
Ravichandran said the family was expecting Ashwin's retirement for some time because “humiliation was going on”, though he didn't reveal the exact nature of it.
“The sudden change – retirement – gave us a shock. 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,” he said.
Ravichandran said it was Ashwin's call to move away from international cricket.
“It's his (Ashwin's) wish and desire, I cannot interfere in that. The way he gave his retirement, one part I was very happy, another part not happy because he should have continued,” he added.
In fact, Ashwin had told the media in Brisbane that “I do feel there's a bit of punch left in me”, thus hinting at reasons more than mere cricketing.
Ashwin's decision may seem like a bolt from the blue but India skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that he had a chat with Ashwin on the sidelines of the Perth Test.
“...this was on his mind and there are obviously a lot of things that went behind it. When I arrived in Perth, this was a chat we had and I somehow convinced him to stay for that pink ball Test match.
“Then after that it just happened so that he felt that if I (Ashwin) am not needed right now in the series, I am better off saying goodbye to the game,” he added.
