A day after his dramatic retirement decision in Brisbane, Ravichandran Ashwin landed in Chennai to a hero's welcome.

The off-spinner had a simple message for his fans: "I’m not done with cricket yet." He insisted that he made an "instinctive" decision and was walking away with "zero regrets".

Hundreds of fans greeted him with showering of flower petals in the early hours of Thursday.

"It's emotional for a lot of people, and may be it will sink in, but for me personally, it is a great sense of relief and satisfaction. It was very instinctive and it has been running in my head for a while. I just felt (it) on Day 4 and I just called it a day," Ashwin said after reaching home.

"...It (retirement) is not a big decision as far as I am concerned because I am going to embrace a new path," he said.

Asked if he regretted not being the captain of the national side, Ashwin dismissed the suggestion.

"I can't do it now. I have no such regrets. In fact, I have zero regrets. I have seen from a distance those people with regrets but I don't have any such regrets," said the off-spinner.

"I never thought so many people will come here. I just wanted a quiet entry, and was looking forward to relax at home. But you have made my day.

"I have not set any new goals, as I just want to relax now."

He will continue to play club cricket, including the IPL for CSK.

"I think that part for me is still burning bright. I am going to play for CSK and don't be surprised if I aspire to play for as long as I can. I don't think Ashwin the cricketer is done, I think only Ashwin the Indian cricketer called time. That's it," he reiterated.

Father's claim

Ashwin's father has claimed that one of the reasons behind his son's sudden retirement was the "humiliation" he faced in the team.

“I too came to know last minute, actually," CNN News18 quoted Ravichandran as saying. “What was going on in his mind I don’t know. He just announced. I too accepted it with full pleasure... But the way he gave his retirement, one part I was very happy, another part not happy because he should have continued.

“(Retiring) is his (Ashwin’s) wish and desire, I cannot interfere in that, but the way in which he gave that, there could be many reasons. Only Ashwin knows, maybe humiliation," he said.

Ashwin later posed on X that his father wasn't "media trained" and requested all to "forgive him and leave him alone".