Retired Indian cricketer eyes maiden stint with England’s ‘The Hundred’ – Report

Too many retirements have rocked Indian cricket lately, with Cheteshwar Pujara’s coming as the latest shock to all. Although he stepped aside from all forms of the game, there is another ace Indian cricketer who decided to hang up his IPL boots, Ravichandran Ashwin. India’s best Test finger spinner, Ashwin, retired from international cricket late last year, midway through the away Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With him having little desire to explore more franchise cricket elsewhere, he is said to have identified England’s ‘The Hundred’ competition as his next destination, per the latest reports.

With 537 Test wickets to his name, Ashwin is second to Anil Kumble as the highest wicket-taker for India in the longest format, and the seventh-highest in Test history. Even in the cash-rich league, Ashwin returned with 187 wickets since making his IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2009. However, following rumours of his IPL trade ahead of the next season, Ashwin decided to call time on his IPL career.

Taking to his social media handles, Ashwin posted about his decision to retire from the IPL.

"Special day and hence a special beginning. They say every ending will have a new start, my time as an IPL cricketer comes to a close today, but my time as an explorer of the game around various leagues begins today. Would like to thank all the franchisees for all the wonderful memories and relationships over the years, and most importantly, the IPL and the BCCI for what they have given me until now. Look forward to enjoying and making the most of what's ahead of me," Ashwin said in a statement.

Since Ashwin no longer holds a BCCI contract yet remains active in the cricket scene, he is free to explore more chances abroad, with ‘The Hundred’ looked up to as one of the many franchise-based leagues he wishes to ply his trade in, however, from next year onwards.

A report in The Telegraph reads that Ashwin has "identified the Hundred as a competition in which he would be eager to appear," after stepping down as an IPL player.

Meanwhile, The Hundred is not the only tournament he can seek a future in, with Australia’s Big Bash League, South Africa’s SA20, among others, also available.