By India’s off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, has withdrawn from the ongoing third Test against England in Rajkot due to a family emergency. The announcement came late on Friday, February 16, after the conclusion of the second day’s play, during which the 37-year-old reached a significant milestone by picking up his 500th Test wicket.
“Wishing speedy recovery to the mother of R Ashwin. He has to rush and leave the Rajkot test to Chennai to be with his mother,” wrote Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI vice president, on X (formerly Twitter).
In a media release, the BCCI stated, “Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the Test squad, effective immediately, due to a family medical emergency. In these challenging times, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team fully support Ashwin.”
“The BCCI extends its heartfelt support to the champion cricketer and his family. The health and well-being of the players and their loved ones are of utmost importance. The Board requests respect for the privacy of Ashwin and his family as they navigate through this challenging time.”
“The Board and the team will continue to provide any necessary assistance to Ashwin and will keep the lines of communication open to offer support as needed. Team India appreciates the understanding and empathy of the fans and media during this sensitive period.”
With three days remaining in the third Test, Ashwin’s absence could result in India having only ten players available to take the field. His withdrawal adds to the list of players unavailable either for the entire series or certain games.
Harry Brook opted out before the start of the series due to personal reasons while Virat Kohli was also unavailable for selection – initially for the first two Tests and later the full series – due to personal reasons.
There have been a few injuries too. Jack Leach was ruled out of the series due to a left knee injury he sustained in the first Test while KL Rahul, who missed the second Test due to a quadriceps injury, was unavailable for the third game because of a sore knee. Ravindra Jadeja sustained a hamstring injury in the first Test, which forced him to miss the second match in Vizag but returned to the India XI for the Rajkot Test.
