‘Imagine I’m only in team because…’: Ashwin on playing farewell match for India

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 15 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on his retirement and playing a farewell match, saying that he did not want to play a farewell game if he did not deserve his place in the team.
Ashwin delivered one of the most heartbreaking moments in cricket last year when he decided to call time on his international career after the third Test at Brisbane against Australia ended in a draw. His last international appearance was during the pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval, scoring 29 runs across two innings and getting a wicket.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin questioned what difference would it make if people clapped for him during a farewell match.
"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," said Ashwin.
He also said that he did not want his farewell match if he did not deserve a place in the team on the basis of performance and was there in the team just because he had to be given a nice send-off.
"I want to play more cricket. Where is the place? Obviously not in the Indian dressing room but from somewhere else. I want to be honest with the game. Imagine if I want to play farewell Test but I do not deserve a place. Imagine, I am only in the team because it is my farewell Test. I do not want that. I felt there was more strength in my cricket. I could have played more but it is always better to finish when people ask 'why not' than why," Ashwin concluded.
India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3, succumbing to a six-wicket defeat in the fifth and final Test at Sydney after setting Australia a target of 162 runs. With this loss, India is officially out of contention for the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord's in June next year, as Australia and South Africa have sealed their places.
In 106 Tests for India, the legendary all-rounder took 537 wickets at an average of 24.00, with best figures of 7/59. He claimed 37 five-wicket hauls and eight ten-wicket match hauls in his Test career. He is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in Tests overall and the second-highest for India, behind Anil Kumble (619 wickets). Ashwin also holds the record for the second-most five-wicket hauls in Tests, trailing only Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (67).
With the bat, Ashwin scored 3,503 runs at an average of 25.75, including six centuries and 14 fifties in 151 innings, with a highest score of 124.
In 116 ODIs, Ashwin took 156 wickets at an average of 33.20, with best figures of 4/25. He also scored 707 runs at an average of 16.44, including one fifty, a knock of 65 in 63 innings. He is the 13th-highest wicket-taker for India in the format.
Across all formats, Ashwin took 765 wickets in 287 matches, making him India's second-highest wicket-taker after Anil Kumble (953 wickets).
Ashwin was also a key member of the Indian teams that won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. (ANI)