[Watch] R Ashwin welcomed by wife & kids at Chennai airport after returning from BGT 2024-25

Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin returned to India from Australia on Thursday, December 19. He was spotted at Chennai Airport, where his wife, Prithi Narayanan, and their two daughters, Akhira and Aadhya, were there to welcome him.

This comes after Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket following the third Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which ended in a draw. During the post-match press conference, Ashwin joined captain Rohit Sharma and officially professed his decision to retire from international cricket.

The Tamil Nadu cricketer has now returned to his home state, where he was warmly welcomed by his family.

Here’s a video of R Ashwin arriving at Chennai Airport:

During the series, Ashwin was sidelined for the first and third matches but featured in the second, where he took one wicket and scored 29 runs across two innings, as the visitors suffered a heavy 10-wicket defeat.

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“Your skill and match-winning contributions to Indian cricket as second to none” - Virat Kohli on R Ashwin's retirement

On Wednesday, December 18, during the rain break on Day 5 of the third Test in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Brisbane, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin were seen having a seemingly emotional conversation. The Delhi-born cricketer also embraced an emotional Ashwin, fueling speculation that the Tamil Nadu spinner was considering retirement.

Soon after, Ashwin officially announced his retirement during the post-match press conference. To pay tribute to his teammate, Kohli shared an emotional post on X, writing:

“I've played with you for 14 years and when you told me today you're retiring, it made me a bit emotional and the flashbacks of all those years playing together came to me. I've enjoyed every bit of the journey with you ash, your skill and match-winning contributions to Indian cricket as second to none and you will always and always be remembered as a legend of Indian cricket.”

“Wish you nothing but the best in your life with your family and everything else that it unfolds for you. With massive respect and lots of love to you and your close ones. Thanks for everything buddy,” Kohli added.

Ashwin featured in 287 matches for India across all formats, claiming 765 wickets (537 in Tests, 156 in ODIs, and 72 in T20Is). Additionally, the 38-year-old accumulated 4,394 runs across formats, including 15 half-centuries and six centuries.