Prithi Narayanan, wife of ace India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, posted a heartfelt message on Friday for the retired cricketer. The spinner hung up his boots from international cricket after an unprecedented announcement after the Brisbane Test and travelled back to Chennai on the same day, leaving behind a gap that will be tough to fill.

India and Australia are due to head in the third Test in Melbourne from December 26, but Ashwin is no longer a part of the squad that had travelled Down Under last month.

Ashwin had played the Adelaide Test and could pick just one wicket in India's 10-wicket defeat in that game. He was replaced by Ravindra Jadeja in Brisbane and his half-century meant that Ashwin would remain benched for the Boxing Day Test as well.

"It has been a blurry two days for me. I have been thinking about what I can say. Do I put this down as a tribute to my all-time favourite cricketer? Maybe I’ll just take the partner angle? Or maybe a love letter from a fan girl," Prithi posted on her Instagram handle.

"When I saw Ashwin's PC, I thought of small and big moments. Many many memories over the last 13-14 years. The big wins, the MOS awards, the quiet silence in our room after an intense game, the sound of the shower running for much longer than usual on some evenings post-play," Prithi wrote.

"Dear Ashwin, from not knowing how to put a kit bag together to following you to stadiums all over the world, rooting for you, watching you and learning from you, it has been an absolute pleasure. The world you introduced me to gave me the privilege to watch and enjoy a sport that I love from close quarters," Prithi added.

Ashwin finished his glorious career with 537 wickets in Tests from 106 matches, at an impressive economy of 2.83.

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