Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Mentioned, but Ravichandran Ashwin ignores MS Dhoni in Retirement Speech - Why?

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Brisbane witnessed the departure of a Test cricket maestro from the ring as Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket.

The rain-marred match between India and Australia ended in a stalemate, but it was Ashwin's retirement that stole the show. The veteran came to the post-match press conference and gave the retirement bomb, which shocked the world.

Also, the timing of the retirement has been questioned as Ashwin decided to hang his boots in the middle of the Test series. But as the India spinner made his retirement announcement, he named a few of his teammates, and shockingly, the name of MS Dhoni was missing.

"This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level. I do feel there's a bit of punch left in there, but I would like to expose and probably showcase that in club-level cricket. But this will be the last day and I got a lot of fun. I must say, I created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates, even though I lost some of them over the last few years. We are the last bunch OGs, if we can say that, left out in the dressing room," Ashwin said in the speech.

He then went on to thank Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane for being a key part of his journey. The veteran also thanked all the India coaches over the years and BCCI in his speech.

"And I'd be marking this as my date of having played at this level. Obviously, there are a lot of people to thank, but I would be failing my duties if I did not thank BCCI and my teammates. All of the coaches who have been part of the journey. Most importantly, Rohit, Virat, Ajinkya, Pujara - who took those splendid catches around the back to give me the number of wickets I have managed to get over the years," he added.

Interestingly, the name of MS Dhoni was not uttered. Dhoni, who was Ashwin's first captain in the Indian team and was a pivotal figure in his emergence, was left omitted by the off-spinner. It was under Dhoni's leadership that Ashwin won the World Cup 2011 and then went on to win the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.

Why did Ashwin not mention MS Dhoni's Name?

Amid the emotional state of Ravichandran Ashwin following his retirement, it can happen. Even the player said he wouldn't be taking any questions due to his lack of clarity at the time and perhaps that was the sole reason why MS Dhoni's name got skipped by the India spinner.

Both Ashwin and Dhoni maintain a cordial relationship and the duo will be seen in the Chennai Super Kings jersey together in IPL 2025. Although it's disappointing that Dhoni's name was not uttered, the reason seems purely accidental.