Did Gautam Gambhir Push Kohli, Rohit Into Test Retirement? R. Ashwin Drops Hints

Ashwin hinted at behind-the-scenes decisions by Gautam Gambhir regarding Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s test retirement.

Nearly a year after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma stepped away from Test cricket, debate around their retirement continues. Many fans believe the decision involved inputs from team management.

India’s 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia marked the end of their Test career. Rohit confirmed retirement on May 7, while Kohli followed on May 12.

Ravichandran Ashwin recently spoke about that phase during a Revsportz public event. He indicated that head coach Gautam Gambhir may have supported moving senior players out. Ashwin also spoke about his own mid-series retirement during the same tour. He accepted that management decisions focused on future planning.

“If somebody has to have angst against Gautam, it’s me, right? I come out on his second or third tour as coach…” Ashwin answered when asked how he would rate Gambhir.

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“Gautam, the coach, has a job to do for me in many ways, and even if he thought that I must move on or Virat must move on or Rohit must move on, it’s okay; it’s fine because he has a job to do. And at that particular instance, if I felt bitter about it, that’s also okay because it’s my emotion. But if you detach yourself from that, it’s clear to me that he has a job to do, and maybe I do not have a future in his regime,” he added.

Ashwin Explains Reason Behind His Test Retirement

Ravichandran Ashwin also explained his own Test retirement decision. He stepped away after the drawn match at the Gabba during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ashwin did not feature in the first Test in Perth, where Washington Sundar played. He returned for the second Test in Adelaide, which India lost by 10 wickets. The team left him out again for the MCG Test.

These selection changes pointed at a shift in team planning. Ashwin recognised that younger players needed opportunities and space. He chose to step aside rather than wait for another chance.

“One of my strongest assets, I feel, is my ability to make decisions. Whether it’s right or wrong is for people to debate. But at the end of the day, it’s my life. I need to do it on my terms. The moment, I think, at Perth, when we had Jaddu and myself as the lead spinners in the side, and Washy played that game in Perth, and then the next game, again, I came in, and then I had to again make way, was kind of suggestive or indicative to me that my time was up,” he said.

“And if somebody else had to come and take up that place, by all means, they need their space and time. And I’m not one of those guys who will hang around, you know, wanting to see if I can make a comeback. I’ve had far too many. I’ve come far, far too much in my life to be able to, you know, dilly-dally around with all those things,” Ashwin continued.

“I have always wanted to shed ego as the first thing in my life, and I’m still in the process of shedding ego. We all are human beings. It comes to us. But if you detach yourself, things do make sense. Sometimes, because of the adulation we get in this country, we do end up thinking that we are invincible, which is not the case,” he concluded.