South African cricket legend Daryll Cullinan has offered a strong opinion on Ravichandran Ashwin’s surprising retirement from international cricket. Ashwin announced his decision to retire midway through the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, having played just one of the three Tests up to that point. He chose not to have a farewell match, stating that he wanted to retire from the game as quietly as possible. However, Cullinan has strongly criticized Ashwin’s decision to retire mid-series, labeling it as a “selfish” act.

While Ashwin did not give a specific reason for his retirement, reports suggest two major factors behind the decision: a recurring back issue and the fact that he was no longer a guaranteed selection, especially in overseas conditions. Ashwin’s father had even mentioned that his son retired due to “humiliation,” but Ashwin quickly dismissed that claim.

Cullinan believes Ashwin’s mid-series retirement was disruptive, saying, “Ashwin should not have retired mid-series. It was a selfish move, clearly for reasons he won’t make public. It was a spiteful reaction to not being selected. It can disrupt a team’s momentum mid-series. It was just a matter of weeks; he could have retired after Sydney.”

Ashwin retired with an impressive 537 wickets from 106 Tests, making him India’s second-highest wicket-taker across all formats.

In the same interview, Cullinan expressed that India’s tour of Australia would still be considered successful if they manage to win the final Test or at least draw the series 2-2. “If India wins in Sydney, it’s been a successful tour for them. I don’t see why they can’t win in Sydney! In fact, I think they will,” he said.

A win in the final Test would not only see India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for a record fifth consecutive time, but it would also keep their hopes alive for a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final.