5 legendary Indian cricketers who played their last Test vs Australia ft. R Ashwin

India's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests R Ashwin pulled the curtains on his international career by announcing his retirement after the end of the third Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test at The Gabba.

The 38-year-old ended his international career for India with 765 wickets across all formats and 4,394 runs with six hundreds and fifteen half-centuries to his name. Ashwin did not feature in India's playing XI at The Gabba, which means that he played his final Test and international game in the second Test of the ongoing series in Adelaide.

Apart from R Ashwin, there are a handful of big Indian cricketers who played the final Tests of their careers against Australia. India and Australia have had a great rivalry, particularly when it comes to the longer format.

On that note, let us take a look at five legendary Indian cricketers who played their last Test against Australia.

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5 legendary Indian cricketers who played their last Test vs Australia

#5 Anil Kumble

Former Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble ended as the country's highest wicket-taker in the longest format with 619 wickets to his name and is still at the top even to date.

Kumble played his final Test in October/November 2008 at Delhi against Australia during the third match of the series. Interestingly, he also led the side in that match, which ended in a draw.

The spinner scored 45 runs in India's first innings and picked up three wickets in Australia's first innings as well. He did not bat in the second innings and bowled just four overs later without picking up a wicket.

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#4 Sourav Ganguly

In the fourth Test of the same 2008 home series against Australia at Nagpur, Sourav Ganguly, known for revolutionizing Indian cricket, played his final match for India in the longest format just a game after Kumble's retirement.

Ganguly scored a brilliant 85 in the first innings while he got out on a first-ball duck in the second. India went on to win the game by 172 runs.

The left-handed batter ended his career in the longest format with 7,212 runs at an average of 42.17, with 16 hundreds and 35 fifties to his name. He also picked up 32 wickets from 99 innings.

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#3 Rahul Dravid

Famously known as 'The Wall' of Indian cricket, Rahul Dravid played his final Test in 2012 against Australia in Adelaide during the fourth game of the series.

Dravid failed to get going in the first innings, getting out for just a solitary run. In India's second innings, he scored a patient 71-ball 25. However, the visitors lost the game by a massive margin of 298 runs.

Nonetheless, Dravid remains not just India's but one of the greatest players of the format across the globe. He amassed 13,288 runs from 164 matches at an average of 52.31 with 36 hundreds and 63 fifties.

Interestingly, another Indian great, VVS Laxman, also played his final Test in this very match.

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#2 MS Dhoni

The 2014 tour to Australia was a tough one for India but it came as the beginning of a decade of dominance eventually. Quite shockingly and to everyone's surprise, Dhoni announced his retirement from Test cricket mid-way through the 2014 series, with his final outing coming during the third game in Melbourne.

Dhoni scored just 11 runs in India's first innings and remained unbeaten on 24 in the next as the match ended in a draw. He scored 4876 runs in the format from 90 matches at an average of 38.09 with 6 hundreds and 33 fifties. He also took 256 catches and affected 38 stumpings.

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#1 R Ashwin

The most recent entrant on this list is R Ashwin, who announced his retirement after the third BGT 2024-25 Test at The Gabba. Ashwin was not a part of the playing XI and thus, played his final match in the second game in Adelaide.

He picked up 537 wickets in the format, only behind Anil Kumble's 619, at an average of 24.00 including 37 five-wicket hauls. Ashwin also scored 3,503 runs with six hundreds and 14 half-centuries to his name.

Only seven Indian players have played their final Test against Australia, with former opener Virender Sehwag being the other, playing his last game in the format in 2013 against Australia at Hyderabad.