Ravichandran Ashwin has inspired Tamil Nadu and Indian youngsters to become Fearless: Baba Aparajith

Ravichandran Ashwin, a stalwart of Indian cricket, has announced his retirement from international cricket.

The crafty off-spinner, who has 537 Test wickets to his name, announced the end of his journey as an India player on Wednesday (December 18), just minutes after the conclusion of the 3rd Test between India and Australia in Brisbane.

Ashwin has left a vibrant imprint of his elite class as a bowler, and the cricketing world has taken its hats off for the veteran. Ashwin, who hails from Chennai, the southern part of India, has also created a massive impact in the region as a role model. And Ashwin's former Tamil Nadu teammate Baba Aparajith has hailed the stalwart for his deeds in Indian cricket.

Speaking with MyKhel in an exclusive interview, Aparajith depicted his memories with Ashwin and congratulated the player for his sublime career.

"Firstly, I would like to congratulate him on a wonderful journey because it's been a very long journey and he has achieved a lot of things. He has won so many matches for the country, series for the country and what he has achieved is not at all normal. And I feel I am actually lucky to have played with him and had some conversations with him. He is a very unique cricketer. He always thinks about the game. He always wants to upgrade his game," Aparajith said.

The Tamil Nadu-born batter currently plays for Kerala in domestic cricket and holds Ashwin in high regard for the impact he has created in Tamil Nadu. Aparajith believes Ashwin's will to upgrade himself has inspired many youngsters who now aim to tweak their qualities in the quest to become a better version of themselves.

"He has been a huge inspiration and the impact he has created in Tamil Nadu is very huge. He has helped a lot of cricketers. So many players are keen to try new things because of Ashwin. He is a person who keeps trying things and he has succeeded well in that. Be it a carrom ball, a leg spinner or a back spinner, he keeps trying new variations and has succeeded in that. So, cricketers nowadays want to emulate what Ashwin has done before. And they are not afraid to try these things. Because of such cricketers, we also have the confidence to try and do such things. So, I think that has been the biggest impact which he has created in Tamil Nadu."