Ashwin reveals he contemplated retirement between 2018-20; recalls being 'crushed' by Ravi Shastri's remarks

Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin is ranked the best bowler and spinner for India in Test cricket. However, he struggled to impact a couple of years back while chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav dominated the department. Moreover, head coach Ravi Shastri's comments were not encouraging enough as he contemplated retiring from the sport.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Ashwin recalled that he was happy with Kuldeep's success in Australia, especially after getting a fifer, which is never an easy task Down Under. However, after Shastri termed the latter as the number one Indian spinner, the former was left startled. Ashwin reckoned that it felt like he was thrown under a bus that left him crushed.

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"I hold Ravi bhai in high esteem. We all do. And I understand we all can say things and then retract them. At that moment, though, I felt crushed. Absolutely crushed. I went back to my room and spoke to my wife. And, my children were there. So, we were able to, you know, shrug it off, and I still made it to the party because, end of the day, we had won a massive series," Ashwin said.

Ashwin also remembered that recurring injuries made things difficult for him to earn consistent success. He reckoned that he claimed four in the first innings of the opening Test, while despite the track getting flat in the second, he claimed three before suffering a grade three abdomen tear. While he was left frustrated with his body letting him down despite being in good form, he was saddened after hearing that Nathan Lyon had attained six in the second.

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Although Ashwin (427) is the third-highest wicket-taker for India after Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev, despite his recent resurgence, he struggled between 2018 and 2020. Consequently, he contemplated retiring. "I contemplated giving up the sport at various points. I thought, 'I have put in a lot of effort, but it is not coming through.' The harder I tried, the farther it felt," he concluded.