The third Test between Australia and India at the Gabba ended in a draw on a rain-affected day five. Shortly after the match, a video went viral showing Virat Kohli chatting with Ravichandran Ashwin in the dressing room. The veteran spinner was hugged by the former India skipper, and Ashwin appeared emotional, with teary eyes.
This incident made cricket fans suspicious and sparked rumours that Ashwin might be retiring from his illustrious career. During the post-match press conference, Ashwin joined skipper Rohit Sharma and announced he was putting the curtains down on his international cricket journey.
He said: “I would not take too much of your time. Today will be the last day for me as an India cricketer,” and thanked the Indian Cricket Board, along with all the coaches and captains he played under throughout his career.
Ashwin made his international debut in June 2010, in an ODI match against Sri Lanka at Harare. Just a week later, he earned his T20I debut cap against Zimbabwe at the same venue. His Test cricket journey began in November 2011 against the West Indies in Delhi.
Since 2010, Ashwin has played 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is. He has set and broken numerous records, especially in Test cricket. Ashwin is one of 14 Indian players to have played more than 100 Test matches. Remarkably, he has never missed a Test match on Indian soil, featuring in all 65 games played at home.
In home conditions, he has taken the highest number of wickets (383) in India’s Test cricket history, with an impressive economy rate of 2.81. Overall, Ashwin has claimed 537 Test wickets, the seventh-most in Test cricket history and the second-most for India, behind Anil Kumble’s 619.
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🚨Ravichandran Ashwin – redefining greatness in Test cricket!
– 537 wickets (7th all-time, 2nd most for India)
– Fastest to 250, 300, 350 wkts
– 4 Tests with a 100 + 5-wicket haul
– ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016 & named in ICC Test Team of the Decade 2011-20Thank You legend… pic.twitter.com/a1WcKXwsoJ
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) December 18, 2024
Interestingly, out of his 537 Test wickets, Ashwin has taken 269 against right-handed batters and 268 against left-handed batters, showcasing his remarkable versatility. In the 2015-16 season, he was named the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for his outstanding performances. Additionally, he was included in the ICC Test Team of the Decade for 2011-2020, a testament to his consistent excellence over the years.
The Tamil Nadu spinner was the fastest to reach the milestones of 250, 300, and 350 Test wickets, achieving them in just 45, 54, and 66 matches, respectively. With the bat, Ashwin also became a household name over the years. He scored 3,503 runs, mostly batting at the number eight position, where he managed 2,006 runs in 85 innings. He has four centuries at that position, the most by any Indian batter at number eight.
Ashwin’s all-round brilliance is evident in his rare feats. On four occasions, he scored a century and took five wickets in an innings in the same Test match (twice against the West Indies, and once each against England and Bangladesh). His contributions with both bat and ball have earned him 11 Player of the Series awards, the most by any player in Test cricket history. During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2021, in the third test at Sydney, Ashwin played a gritty knock of 39* runs along with Hanuma Vihari and earned the draw.
However, in the white-ball formats, he has had some memorable spells and contributions with the bat. He was part of the 2011 ODI World Cup-winning squad and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy squad. In the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal against Australia in Ahmedabad, it was Ashwin who drew first blood by rattling the stumps of Shane Watson.
Then, in the final of the 2013 Champions Trophy at Lord’s, with England needing 15 runs to win, MS Dhoni placed his faith in the veteran spinner. Ashwin held his nerves, conceding only nine runs and helping India secure the victory. In the shortest format of the game, Ashwin produced a magical delivery to South Africa’s Hashim Amla in the semifinal of the 2014 T20 World Cup in Mirpur. He was a master of the carrom ball, delivered with a flick of the right middle finger, causing the ball to break from leg to off against the right-handed batter. It was so impressive that former Australia great Adam Gilchrist dubbed it the ‘T20 Ball of the Century’.
Fast forward to the 2022 T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), in a match between India and Pakistan. With India needing two runs from the last delivery, Ashwin kept his cool and smartly let the ball go, which was called a wide. On the next ball, he expertly scooped it over mid-off for a single. Virat Kohli, who was at the non-striker’s end, later described Ashwin’s decision as brave. Beyond his skills and variations, it was Ashwin’s mindset and cricketing intelligence that set him apart from others.
Here are some more remarkable records by Ravichandran Ashwin in international cricket:
Test Records:
- Has the record of scoring 300+ runs and 25+ wickets in a single series: 306 runs and 28 wickets against England in India.
- 5th most ten-wicket hauls in a match (8 times).
- 2nd most five-wicket hauls in an innings in Test history.
- Oldest Indian player to take five wickets in an innings – 38 years 2 days (vs BAN, 2024).
- Oldest Indian player to take ten wickets in a match – 36 years 298 days (vs WI, 2023).
- 4th most balls bowled by an Indian (27,246).
- 2nd best strike rate for an Indian bowler with more than 50 Tests (50.73 in 106 Tests, behind Mohammed Shami’s 50.28 in 64 Tests).
- Has dismissed Ben Stokes 13 times and David Warner 11 times.
- 4th most wickets taken bowled (109).
- 5th most wickets taken LBW (117).
- 3rd fastest to take 200 wickets (37 matches).
- 2nd fastest to take 400, 450, and 500 wickets (77, 89, 98 matches).
- 4th most Player of the Match Awards for India (10).
Across Formats (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is combined):
- 4th most five-wicket hauls in an innings in a career (37).
- 7th most Player of the Series Awards (12).
- 9th most wickets taken LBW (151).
Individual Achievements:
- Awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award by the Indian government in 2015.
Also Read: “I want to bow out on my terms”: Ravichandran Ashwin