Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | Madras, Tamil Nadu, India | 17 September 1986|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname | Ash, [1] Lege [2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 188 [3] cm (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling | Right-arm off spin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | All rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | raviashwin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Test debut(cap 271) | 6 November 2011 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 9 March 2024 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI debut(cap 185) | 5 June 2010 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 08 October 2023 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI shirt no. | 99 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
T20I debut(cap 30) | 12 June 2010 v Zimbabwe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last T20I | 10 November 2022 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
T20I shirt no. | 99 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2006/07–present | Tamil Nadu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008–2015 | Chennai Super Kings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2016–2017 | Rising Pune Supergiant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | Worcestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2018–2019 | Kings XI Punjab | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019 | Nottinghamshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2020–2021 | Delhi Capitals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021 | Surrey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022–present | Rajasthan Royals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 6 March 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
YouTube information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Channels | Ashwin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genres | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Subscribers | 1.35 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total views | 165.5 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last updated: 9 March 2024 |
Ravichandran Ashwin (cricketer. He is a right-arm off spin bowler and a lower order batter. Widely regarded as one of the most prolific off spinners of all time, he represents the Indian cricket team and was part of the Indian team that won the 2011 Cricket World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy. He plays for Tamil Nadu and South Zone in domestic cricket and for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
) (born 17 September 1986) is an Indian internationalAshwin has 500 wickets in Tests and is the fastest bowler to reach 300 wickets in terms of number of innings. He has won ten Man of the Series awards in Tests, which is the highest by an Indian cricketer and the second highest overall. As an all-rounder in Test cricket, he bats down the order, has scored five Test centuries and is one of the only three players to have scored 3000 runs and taken 500 wickets in Tests. As of February 2024, Ashwin is the highest-ranked bowler in the ICC men's player rankings and the highest rated Indian bowler ever in Tests.
Ashwin started as an opening batsman but dropped down the order due to limited success and turned into an off-break bowler. He made his first-class debut for Tamil Nadu in December 2006 and captained the team the following season. He played for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2010 Indian Premier League, where his economical bowling led to his maiden international call-up in the limited-overs formats in June 2010. He was the leading wicket-taker and player of the tournament of the 2010 Champions League Twenty20, which was won by CSK. He also won the 2014 Champions League Twenty20 and two IPL titles (2010, 2011) with CSK.
In 2011, he made his Test debut against West Indies and became the seventh Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul on debut. Ashwin had greater success with the turning tracks in the Indian subcontinent, including taking 29 wickets in a series against Australia, the most by any Indian bowler in a four-match Test series. In the 2015–16 season, Ashwin took 48 wickets and scored 336 runs in eight Test matches, along with 27 wickets in 19 T20Is, enabling him to win the ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year awards for 2016. He has been named five times to the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year and was named in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Decade 2011–20. In 2015, he was awarded the Arjuna award by the Government of India.
Ashwin was born on 17 September 1986 in Madras, Tamil Nadu, to Ravichandran and Chitra. [4] His father, Ravichandran, played cricket at club level as a fast bowler. [5] [6] Ashwin did his initial schooling at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan. [7] Later, he switched to St. Bede's School for higher secondary. [8] He graduated with a BTech in Information Technology from SSN college of engineering, Chennai. [9]
Ashwin started playing cricket at the age of nine for YMCA and was coached by Chandrasekar Rao during the early part of his career. [7] Later, when he switched to St. Bede's, which had a cricket academy, he was coached by C K Vijaya Kumar. [10] [11] Initially, he took up medium pace bowling before he switched to off spin on the advice of his coach Vijay. [7] He was later coached by former spinner Sunil Subramaniam and mentored by former cricketer W V Raman. [8] He had represented the Indian under-17 team as an opening batter. [5]
Ashwin resides in West Mambalam, Chennai. [4] He married his childhood friend, Prithi Narayanan, on 13 November 2011. [12] They have two daughters. [13] [14]
On the back of his impressive performance in the 2010 Indian Premier League, Ashwin was selected for the Indian squad that toured Zimbabwe for a tri-series in May 2010. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka on 5 June 2010, scoring a 32–ball 38 and taking 2/50 in that match, which India lost. [15] His T20I debut came a week later, against Zimbabwe at Harare where he took 1/22 in four overs in an Indian win. [16]
Ashwin was part of the squad for the 2010 Asia Cup, which India won. [17] He was also part of the tri-series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka, but did not get a game, with Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja being preferred. [18] In October 2010, Ashwin was selected to play in the three-match home ODI series against Australia, in which he took 1/34 in nine overs in an Indian victory in the only match he played. [19] Ashwin played in all five matches of the home series against New Zealand in November–December 2010 in which India completed a 5–0 whitewash with Ashwin ending up as the leading wicket-taker with 11 wickets at an average of 21.90. [20] At the conclusion of the series, then Indian captain Gautam Gambhir called him "the find" of the series and hailed his bowling during the powerplay overs. [21] Despite being in the squad, Ashwin did not make it to the playing eleven in any of the five ODIs on the South African tour in 2010, with Harbhajan Singh preferred. [22]
Ashwin was part of the 15-member 2011 Cricket World Cup squad, with Harbhajan and Piyush Chawla being the other two specialist spinners in the squad. [23] Ashwin played only two matches in World cup, which India won, defeating Sri Lanka in the finals. [24] [25] Ashwin played the fourth and fifth matches of India's tour of West Indies in June–July 2011, picking up just one wicket. [26] Ashwin was retained in the limited-overs squad for the England tour and emerged as India's best bowler of the series, taking six wickets at an average of 25.16. [27] When England toured India in October 2011, Ashwin was the second-highest wicket-taker of the series, with ten wickets in a 5–0 victory. [28] [29]
In November 2011, West Indies toured India for three Tests and five ODIs, with Ashwin and Ojha being the only two specialist spinners in the squad. [30] Ashwin made his Test debut in the first match at Delhi, earning his cap from Sachin Tendulkar. [31] He took 3/81 in the first innings and picked a fifer with 6/47 in the second, helping India win the match and was awarded the man of the match, becoming the third Indian player to win the award on Test debut. [32] [33] He picked four wickets in the second Test at Kolkata, where India registered an innings victory. [34] In the third Test at Mumbai, he took 5/156 and scored his maiden international century in India's first innings, thus becoming only the third Indian to score a century and take a five-wicket haul in the same Test and the first since 1962. [35] [36] The match ended in a draw with the scores level, and was awarded the man of the match as well as the man of the series for his all-round performance. [37] Ashwin also featured in four matches of the subsequent ODI series and took four wickets at an average of 49.00. [38]
Ashwin was part of the squad that toured Australia in 2011-12. He played in three Tests on the tour, taking just nine wickets at an average of more than 62. [39] He also featured in the subsequent triangular CB Series against Australia and Sri Lanka and took seven wickets in as many matches at 43.42. [40] In March 2012, he took five wickets in three matches of the 2012 Asia Cup in Bangladesh. [41] He had a quiet tour of Sri Lanka in July–August 2012, taking five wickets at 39.40 in the five-match ODI series and 1/22 in the one-off T20I. [42] [43]
Ashwin returned to form during the two-match home Test series against New Zealand. In the first Test at Hyderabad, he claimed 6/31 and 6/54, helping India seal an innings victory and was named the man of the match with his match figures of 12/85, bettering S. Venkataraghavan's 12/152 for the best figures by an Indian bowler against New Zealand in Tests. [44] [45] [46] In the second match at Bangalore, his efforts of 5/69 in the second innings helped India win the match and the series 2–0. [47] He was awarded man of the series for his tally of 18 wickets at an average of 13.11. [48] Ashwin played four matches in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka and took five wickets at an economy rate of 6 and an average of 19. [49]
During the first Test of England's tour of India in late 2012, Ashwin became the fastest Indian to record 50 wickets in Test cricket as he overhauled the milestone in his ninth game. [50] India eventually lost the series 2–1 in which Ashwin managed to take only 14 wickets in the four Tests at an average of 52.64. However, he scored 243 runs, averaging 60.75, including two fifties, and finished as India's second best batsman of the series. [51] [52] In the three-match ODI series against Pakistan and the five-match ODI series against England, he took three wickets at 43.33 and seven wickets at 35.71, respectively. [53] [54]
There were a few changes I had to make after the England series [...] I had to work on my delivery stride, it had got a little long during the England series and that was affecting the way I was delivering the ball. We had very little time, but I was lucky to have a coach [Subramaniam] who identified it pretty quickly.
— Ashwin on the changes he made to his bowling before the Australia series [55]
In February 2013, Ashwin worked with Sunil Subramaniam to make changes to his bowling ahead of the four-match Test series against Australia, including shortening of his bowling stride. [55] Ashwin had a successful series in the Australia's four-Test tour of India in February–March 2013. In the first Test at Chennai, his home ground, he took 7/103 and 5/95, leading India to a comfortable eight-wicket victory. [56] He had a haul of 5/63 in the second innings of the second Test at Hyderabad, where India registered an innings win and took four wickets in the third Test at Mohali, where India sealed the series with a six-wicket victory. In the last match at Delhi, he took 5/57 and 2/55 in another Indian win which completed a 4–0 whitewash of Australia. During the match, Ashwin surpassed Anil Kumble's record of 27 wickets for the most wickets by an Indian bowler in a four-Test series. [57] Ashwin finished the series as the leading wicket-taker with a tally of 29 wickets at 20.10 and won the Man of the Series award. [58] It was the first time India won four or more Tests in a series and the first time Australia was whitewashed since 1969–70. [59]
Ashwin was part of the Indian team that won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in England. His match figures of 2/15 in four overs in the 20-overs-a-side final helped India restrict England to 124/8 and win the match by five runs. [60] He had a total of eight wickets from five matches at an average of 22.62, conceding 4.41 runs per over, and ended as the joint-fifth highest wicket-taker of the tournament and was named in the 'Team of the Tournament'. [61] [62] With nine wickets in six matches, Ashwin finished as the leading wicket-taker of the home ODI series against Australia in October–November 2013, which India won 3–2. [63] [64]
On India's tour of South Africa, Ashwin had a difficult time with the ball, picking up only one wicket across three ODIs and went wicketless in his 42 overs in the first Test at Johannesburg, following which, he was dropped for the second Test. [65] In early 2014, Ashwin's overseas struggles continued during the New Zealand tour, where he managed to bag a solitary wicket in the five-match ODI series, which India lost 4–0. [66] [67] However, in the third ODI, coming in to bat with India at 146/5 in pursuit of 315, he scored his maiden ODI fifty of 65 runs from 46 balls. He shared a 38-run partnership with Dhoni and an 85-run seventh wicket stands with Jadeja, as the match eventually ended in a tie. [68] In the two-match Test series that followed, Jadeja was preferred over Ashwin as the lone spinner in the playing eleven.
Ashwin was back among the wickets when India went to Bangladesh for the 2014 Asia Cup and the 2014 ICC World Twenty20. He took nine wickets in four matches of the Asia Cup and finished as the joint-third highest wicket-taker of the tournament. [69] He played a vital role in India's unbeaten run to the World Twenty20 final. His tally of 11 wickets in six matches at an average of 11.27 and an economy rate of 5.35 put him joint third on the list of most wickets in the tournament. [70] He was named in the "Team of the Tournament" for the 2014 T20 World Cup by the ICC and ESPNcricinfo. [71] [72]
Ashwin was part of the Indian team that toured England in 2014. He played only two matches in the five Test series, scoring 40 and 46 not out but going wicketless in the fourth Test and taking three wickets in the last match, both of which ended in defeats. [26] India won the ODI series that followed 3–1. with Ashwin taking seven wickets from four matches at an average of 24.85 and an economy rate of less than 4.5. [73] [74] India whitewashed Sri Lanka in a five-match ODI series in November 2014, in which Ashwin took 6 wickets to his name at 33.33. [75] [76] Ashwin was not part of the first Test of India's tour of Australia in December 2014. He returned to the playing eleven in the second test and took a total of 12 wickets at an average of 48.66 in the remaining three matches. [77]
I see a lot of myself in Ashwin. He is a fantastic cricketer with a lot of work ethic. Obviously, he is a far better batsman than me.
— Former India Test captain Anil Kumble on Ashwin, February 2015 [78]
Ashwin was selected to represent India for the second consecutive ODI World cup held in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. He took 13 wickets in 8 matches in India's run to the semi-finals and was named on the bench in the 'Team of the tournament'. [79] [80] In the 2015 three-match series against Sri Lanka, he finished with 21 wickets and, in the process, broke the record for the most wickets by an Indian bowler in a series against Sri Lanka, winning the Man of the Series award. [81] These efforts led him to achieve the top ranking in ICC men's rankings for bowlers in tests for the year 2015. [82]
In November 2015, Ashwin was a star performer throughout the Freedom Trophy Test series against South Africa in India. During the course of the series, he became the fastest Indian to reach 150 wickets in Test cricket. [83] In the third Test in Nagpur, he picked up 12 wickets for 98 runs to hand South Africa their first away series loss in nine years, with his career-best figures of 7/66 in the second innings bowling the visitors out for 185 to give India a 2–0 series win. [26] [84] [85] He was named in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year in 2015. [86] [87]
Ashwin was part of the Indian squad that won the 2016 Asia Cup, in which he took four wickets in as many matches. [88] [89] He had a brilliant series during the 2016 tour to West Indies where he scored 235 runs with two centuries and took 17 wickets in four tests, with India winning the series 2–0. [90] In New Zealand's tour of India in 2016, Ashwin took 27 wickets in three Tests, including a career-best of 7 for 59 in an innings. [91] Ashwin followed it up with an all round performance, taking 28 wickets and scoring 306 runs in the five match test series against England, which India won 4–0. [92] [26] Overall, Ashwin had a brilliant home season in 2016, taking 82 wickets and thus breaking the record for the most wickets taken in a single domestic season. [93] He also became the second Indian to score 500 runs and take 50 wickets in a single season. [94] For his performances in 2016, he was named in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year. [95] [96] In December 2016, the International Cricket Council named Ashwin the "ICC Cricketer of the Year" and the "ICC Test Cricketer of the Year" for 2016. [97] In the process, he became the third Indian to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the "ICC Cricketer of the Year" after Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, and also the second cricketer ever after Dravid to win the two awards in the same year. [98]
In February 2017, Ashwin took 21 wickets in the four-match series against Australia, which India won 2–1. [99] Ashwin was part of the limited overs squad that toured West Indies in June 2017 after which he became a player who played exclusively in tests. [100] [43] In the Indian tour of Sri Lanka in August 2017, Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets, leading India to a 3–0 victory. [101] Ashwin was again the leading wicket-taker with 12 wickets in Sri Lanka's return tour in December 2017, which India won 1–0. [102] In 2017, he was named in the Test team of the year for the third consecutive year by the ICC. [103] In 2018, India played most of the test matches away from home, with the team touring South Africa and England. [104] [105] Ashwin played six tests, taking 18 wickets, while India lost both the series. [26] In the first test against England on 1 August 2018 at Birmingham, Ashwin took seven wickets in the match including figures of 4/62 in the first innings, which is his best bowling performance in England. [106] Ashwin took nine wickets in the 2–0 victory over West Indies in India in October 2018. [107]
In the 2019–20 home season, India played South Africa and Bangladesh, winning all three series. [108] [109] Ashwin was a key performer in the wins, taking 20 wickets across five matches. [26] Ashwin played one match in the Indian tour of New Zealand, which was won by New Zealand. [26] [110] In the following series in the Indian tour of Australia, India won a historic 2–1 victory, with Ashwin taking 12 wickets across three matches. [111] [26] During England's tour of India in 2021, which India won 3–1, Ashwin took 32 wickets and scored 189 runs, including a century, in four tests. [112] During the series, he became the fastest Indian bowler to reach the landmark of 400 Test wickets and the fourth Indian, after Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, to achieve the milestone. [113] Ashwin was the lead wicket-taker with four wickets in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final loss to New Zealand in June 2021. [114]
In September 2021, Ashwin earned a surprise recall to the Indian squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, more than four years since he played a T20 international. [115] He made the comeback in white-ball cricket in India's third match of the tournament against Afghanistan and bowled a good spell taking two wickets for 14 runs in four overs. [116] Ashwin continued to play T20 international matches across 2021 and 2022. [43] He was also named in the Indian squad, which reached the semi-finals of the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, playing all six matches and taking six wickets. [117] [43]
In the 2021–22 season, India won the home series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka where Ashwin ended up as the leading wicket taker in both series. [118] [119] His consistent performances in test cricket enabled him to be named in the ICC Test team of the year for 2021. [120] In January 2022, India toured South Africa where Ashwin took only three wickets in as many matches as India lost 1–2. [26] [121] Ashwin was once again the leading wicket taker in the West Indies with 15 wickets in a 1–0 victory. [122] In the Australian tour to India in March 2023, Ashwin took 25 wickets in four matches to lead India to a series victory. [123] On the back of the victory against Australia, India qualified for the second consecutive ICC World Test Championship final. Ashwin was not part of the playing eleven in the final, which India lost to Australia. [124]
Ashwin earned a surprise recall to the ODI side for the series against Australia prior to the 2023 Cricket World Cup, in which he took four wickets from two matches. [100] He was subsequently named as a part of the Indian squad for the World Cup. [125] In the World Cup, where India finished runners-up, he played his lone match against Australia and had the best economy rate of 3.4. [126] On 16 February 2024, during the third test of the England tour of India, Ashwin took his 500th test wicket, becoming the second Indian and ninth overall to achieve the feat. [127] [128] In the fifth and final test match of the same series, Ashwin played his 100th Test match and finished as the leading wicket taker of the series with 26 wickets. [129] [26]
Ashwin represented Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket. [31] Ashwin made his first class debut for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji trophy match against Haryana in 2006 at the age of 20, taking six wickets. [31] [130] He made his List A debut in 2007 against Andhra, taking two wickets. [131] His T20 debut came in a victory against Andhra in the interstate T20 tournament next month. [132] He has represented the team in multiple seasons in the Ranji Trophy. [133] Ashwin captained the Tamil Nadu team that won the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2008-09 and reached the semi-finals in 2015. [134] [135] He was part of the team that reached the final of the tournament in 2019. [136] Ashwin has also played for South zone team. [137] Ashwin captained the India A side in the Deodhar Trophy in 2018. [138] Ashwin played for Chemplast in the TNCA first division league until 2018 when he moved to Mylapore RC. He signed on to represent India Cements in 2020. [139]
Ashwin was drafted in as the captain of the Dindigul Dragons franchise for the inaugural season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) T20 tournament. [140] [141] He has represented the same franchise for seven seasons, leading them to two finals in 2018 and 2019. [142] [143]
In August 2017, Ashwin made his English county debut with Worcestershire against Gloucestershire, taking three wickets. [144] He again returned to play for Worcestershire for the 2018 season. [145] In 2019, Nottinghamshire signed Ashwin for the second half of the 2019 County Championship season. [146] Ashwin made his debut against Essex at Trent Bridge and made significant contributions for the county, claiming 34 wickets and 339 runs in five matches. [146]
Representing CSK | ||
---|---|---|
Indian Premier League | ||
Winner | 2010 | |
Winner | 2011 | |
Champions League | ||
Winner | 2011 | |
Winner | 2014 |
Ashwin was signed as a domestic player by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. [147] [148] He made his debut for the Chennai Super Kings during the 2009 season and represented the team for eight consecutive seasons till 2015. [149] His break through season came in 2010 when he took 13 wickets to help Chennai win their first IPL title and qualify for Champions League Twenty20. [150] [149] Chennai won the Champions league title in 2010 with Ashwin being named player of the series. [151] Ashwin was the fourth highest wicket taker with 20 wickets in the 2011 Indian Premier League season, helping Chennai win a second consecutive title. [152] Ashwin won his second Champions League Twenty20 title in 2014 with CSK. [153] Ashwin took 90 wickets from 97 matches in the IPL across eight seasons for the Super Kings. [149]
Following the two-year suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, two new franchises Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions were established for the 2016 Indian Premier League season. Supergiants picked Ashwin as one of their five draft picks on 15 December 2015 for ₹75 million (US$900,000). [154] He took ten wickets in the 2016 season before being ruled out of 2017 season due to an injury. [155] In the 2018 player auction, Ashwin was picked up by Punjab Kings for ₹7.5 crores. [156] He was appointed as captain of Punjab for the 2018 season. [157] In March 2019, in a match against Rajasthan Royals, Ashwin ran out a batter "backing up" (Jos Buttler), reigniting a debate around the mode of dismissal. [158] This ultimately led to a rule change by MCC that the Law on running out the non-striker would be moved into Law 38 (Run Out) rather than Law 41 (Unfair Play). [159]
Ahead of the 2020 season, Ashwin was traded to Delhi Capitals. [160] He took 13 wickets in the season and was the fourth highest-wicket taker in the team. [161] Delhi retained him for the 2021 season. [162] In the 2022 IPL Auction, Ashwin was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for ₹5 crores. [163] During the group stage match against Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 season, he tactically retired out in the 19th over, becoming the first cricketer in IPL to do so. [164] [165] He took 12 wickets and scored 191 runs to take Rajasthan to the finals of the 2022 season. [149] [166] In April 2022, Ashwin became only the second off-spinner after Harbhajan Singh to take 150 wickets in IPL and is the fifth highest-wicket taker in the league with 171 wickets. [167] [168]
Ashwin is widely regarded as one of the most prolific off spinners of all time. [169] [170] He produces several variations of the ball and flights the ball, thereby giving it more chance to spin and dip on the batsman. [171] [172] In addition to his normal off-breaks, he produces an arm ball and the carrom ball, the latter of which he uses frequently in the shorter formats. [173] In IPL 2013, he bowled leg-breaks and googly as well. [174] He evolved his carrom ball from the soduku ball, a finger-flicked legbreak used in tennis ball cricket on the streets of Chennai. [31] However, he has stated in an interview that he refrains from bowling the doosra as it requires him to bend and straighten his arm which he finds difficult to do. [175] [176]
Ashwin's childhood coach Sunil Subramaniam recalls Ashwin's early days at the TNCA Academy:
[...] what struck me was his intelligence. His use of angles, length and width of the crease. Also, guessing what a batsman was likely to do. And the kind of field placing that he is comfortable with. Those are the factors that struck me immediately – that this guy not only loves bowling, he also has a fair idea of what spin actually is. For somebody who started out at 18 or 19, I thought that was a big thing [...] Here is a guy who knew what the ball is supposed to do, where this guy is expected to play and what are the plans to keep that guy in check and put pressure on that guy. He was pretty clear at 18 itself. [177]
Mat | Runs | Best | Bat Avg. | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Bowl Avg. | 5WI | 10WM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Home | 58 | 1823 | 124 | 27.62 | 3 | 8 | 348 | 21.31 | 26 | 6 |
Away | 39 | 1456 | 118 | 26.00 | 2 | 6 | 149 | 30.40 | 8 | 2 |
Neutral | 1 | 29 | 22 | 14.50 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11.25 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 98 | 3308 | 124 | 26.67 | 5 | 14 | 501 | 23.93 | 34 | 8 |
Ashwin has scored 3185 runs in Test matches at an average of 27.22 and 707 runs at an average of just above 16 in ODIs. He has scored five centuries and 14 half-centuries in Tests to go with a single half-century in ODIs. [31]
Ashwin has taken more than 700 wickets in international cricket and more than 500 wickets in Tests, placing him ninth on the all-time list. [128] [224] Ashwin has been more prolific in home conditions, where he has taken 337 wickets in 55 matches at an average of under 21. [223]
Ashwin has scored a century and taken five wickets in the same Test match on three separate instances. [187] He scored more than 500 runs and took more than 50 wickets in 2016, becoming the second Indian after Kapil Dev to do so. [94] Ashwin has won ten Man of the Series awards in Tests. [189]
Following is the list of the five centuries scored by Ashwin in international cricket. [225]
No. | Score | Against | Pos. | Inn. | Venue | H/A | Date | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 103 | West Indies | 8 | 2 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Home | 22 November 2011 | Won | [226] |
2 | 124 | West Indies | 8 | 2 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Home | 26 November 2013 | Draw | [227] |
3 | 113 | West Indies | 6 | 1 | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound | Away | 21 July 2016 | Won | [228] |
4 | 118 | West Indies | 6 | 1 | Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet | Away | 9 August 2016 | Won | [229] |
5 | 106 | England | 8 | 3 | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | Home | 13 February 2021 | Won | [230] |
Following is the list of the man of the series awards won by Ashwin in international cricket. [231]
No. | Season | Against | H/A | Type | Matches | Runs | Wickets | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2011-12 | West Indies | Home | Test | 3 | 121 | 22 | Won (2-0) |
2 | 2012 | New Zealand | Home | Test | 2 | 69 | 18 | Won (2-0) |
3 | 2012-13 | Australia | Home | Test | 4 | 20 | 29 | Won (4-0) |
4 | 2015 | Sri Lanka | Away | Test | 3 | 94 | 21 | Won (2-1) |
5 | 2015-16 | Sri Lanka | Home | T20I | 3 | 31 | 9 | Won (2-1) |
6 | 2015-16 | South Africa | Home | Test | 4 | 101 | 31 | Won (3-0) |
7 | 2016 | West Indies | Away | Test | 4 | 235 | 17 | Won (2-0) |
8 | 2016-17 | New Zealand | Home | Test | 3 | 71 | 27 | Won (3-0) |
9 | 2020-21 | England | Home | Test | 4 | 189 | 32 | Won (3-1) |
10 | 2021-22 | New Zealand | Home | Test | 2 | 70 | 14 | Won (1-0) |
11 | 2022-23 | Australia | Home | Test | 4 | 86 | 25 | Won (2-1) |
Ashwin runs his own YouTube channel where he does analysis of cricket matches, interviews and movie reviews. [232] Ashwin runs a cricket academy called "Gen-Next Cricket Institute" in Chennai where he mentors young kids. [233] In 2016, Ashwin appeared in videos circulated by Tamil Nadu State Election Commission to help create electoral awareness by encouraging voters to check whether their names were on the electoral roll. [234]
In June 2024, Ashwin released his memoir titled I have the streets: A kutti cricket story, which he had co-authored with sports writer Sidharth Monga. [235] [236]
Anil Kumble is an Indian former cricket captain, coach and commentator who played Test and One Day International cricket for his national team over an international career of 18 years. Widely regarded as one of the best leg spin bowlers in Test Cricket History, he took 619 wickets in Test cricket and was the third highest wicket taker of all time at the time of his retirement in 2008. In 1999 while playing against Pakistan, Kumble dismissed all ten batsmen in a Test match innings, joining England's Jim Laker as the second player to achieve the feat. Unlike his contemporaries, Kumble was not a big turner of the ball, but relied primarily on pace, bounce, and accuracy. He was nicknamed "Apple" and "Jumbo". Kumble was selected as the Cricketer of the Year in 1993 Indian Cricket, and one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year three years later. Kumble was a member of the Indian team that was one of the joint-winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, which the title was also shared with Sri Lanka.
Lakshmipathy Balaji is an Indian cricket coach and former international cricketer. He was a right-arm fast medium bowler. He represented the Indian cricket team and was part of the Indian team that finished as runners-up in the 2004 Asia Cup. He played for Tamil Nadu and South Zone in domestic cricket.
Mohammed Shami is an Indian international cricketer who serves as a right-arm fast or fast medium bowler, representing India in all formats. He has played for Bengal in domestic cricket and for four teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). One of the most consistent wicket takers in contemporary world cricket, Shami bowls the ball off the seam and uses swing, including reverse swing, to move the ball both directions. He has been reputed to have an edge in the death (slog) overs of a limited-overs innings and, in all formats, has been described as being at times "unplayable". Shami finished as India's leading wicket taker in the ICC World Cup 2023, besides being the fastest bowler to take 50 wickets in the 48 years history of Cricket World Cup spanning 13 editions. He is recipient of 2023 Arjuna Award for Cricket. Having taken 7 wickets for 57 runs against New Zealand in the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi final, he holds the record for the best figures for an Indian Bowler in ODIs
Ravindrasinh Anirudhsinh Jadeja is an Indian international cricketer who represents the Indian national cricket team in ODI and Test formats. He is an all-rounder, who bats left-handed and bowls left-arm orthodox spin. He is regarded as one of the best all-rounders of his generation, becoming the fifth Indian and fifth-fastest player to score 2,000 runs and take 200 wickets in Test cricket in 2021. Jadeja was the leading wicket-taker in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and received the man of the match award as a member of the final-winning team. Later in his career, he was also a part of the team which won the 2024 T20 World Cup, after which he announced his retirement from the T20Is. He represents Saurashtra in first-class cricket and has captained the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. As of August 2023, Ravindra Jadeja is the 7th highest ODI wicket taker for India with 220 wickets.
Ishant Sharma is an Indian cricketer who has represented India in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He is a 6 ft 4 in tall right-arm fast-medium bowler. At the age of 18, Sharma was called to join the Indian squad for the tour of South Africa in 2006–07. However, after receiving the call and organising travel arrangements, he was deselected. In reference to his height and lean physique in his Under-19 days, the bowler was nicknamed Lambu. In 2011, he became the fifth youngest player to take 100 Test wickets. Against South Africa in 2013, Ishant Sharma became the fifth quickest Indian to record 100 ODI wickets. While being a "rhythm" bowler, he still is considered one of the fastest Indian bowlers having bowled in excess of 150 km/h on several occasions in international cricket as well as the IPL, his fastest being 152.2 km/h bowled to Ricky Ponting on Boxing Day Test in 2011. In 2020, Indian government has awarded him the Arjuna Award to recognize his outstanding achievement in cricket. Sharma was a member of the Indian team that won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
Sunil Philip Narine is a Trinidadian cricket player who played internationally for the West Indies. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in December 2011 and Test match debut in June 2012. Primarily an off-spin bowler, he is also a left-handed batsman. Narine was a part of the West Indies team that won the 2012 T20 World Cup, where he took the winning wicket of Lasith Malinga in the final. In November 2023, he announced his retirement from international cricket.
Ranganath Vinay Kumar is an Indian former cricketer and cricket commentator who has represented India at Test, One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 levels. He is a right-arm medium fast bowler who played domestic cricket for Karnataka and also in the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. He captained Karnataka to two consecutive Ranji Trophy titles in 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons. In November 2018, he played in his 100th match in the Ranji Trophy. In August 2019, he moved from Karnataka to Puducherry, ahead of the 2019–20 Ranji Trophy season. During the first round of matches in the tournament, he took his 400th wicket in the Ranji Trophy. In February 2021, Kumar announced his retirement from all forms of the game. With India, he was a member of the team that won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
Umeshkumar Tilak Yadav is an Indian cricketer who represented the Indian cricket team. He currently plays for Vidarbha in domestic cricket and Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. He played 57 test matches for India and his fast-bowling contributed of India winning test matches particularly at home. Yadav was a member of the team that won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. He was the highest wicket-taker for India in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
Patrick James Cummins is an Australian international cricketer who captains the Australia men's national cricket team in Test and One Day International cricket. He is also the current captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2024 Indian Premier League. Cummins is widely regarded as an all-time great fast bowler in Test cricket and one of the finest fast bowlers of his generation. He is also known for being a handy lower-order batsman. Cummins was a member of the Australian team that won the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, and was the winning captain of the 2021–23 ICC World Test Championship and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh is an Indian international cricketer who played for the Indian cricket team from 2012 to 2022. He currently plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League and Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. A right-arm medium bowler, he is known by the nickname "Swing King" for his ability to swing the ball both ways efficiently, with his inswingers more effective than outswingers. Initially starting his career as an opening swing bowler, Kumar upgraded his bowling armoury with reverse swing, slower balls and yorkers to become a death over specialist. With India, Kumar won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. He became the first bowler to win a Purple Cap of IPL in two consecutive seasons.
Kannur Lokesh Rahul is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian national team. A right-handed wicket-keeper batter, he plays for Karnataka in domestic cricket and captains Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League.
Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team in all formats of the game. A right-arm fast bowler with a unique bowling action, Bumrah is widely regarded as one of the best bowlers in the world and one of the greatest fast bowlers India has ever produced. He plays for Gujarat in domestic cricket and for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Bumrah was a member of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he was named the player of the tournament.
Akshar Rajeshbhai Patel, also spelled as Axar Patel, is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team in all formats of the game as a All-rounder. He also plays for Gujarat in domestic cricket and for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. He is a left-handed batter and slow left-arm orthodox bowler. He was an integral part of the Indian squad which won the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Kagiso Rabada is a South African international cricketer who plays all formats of the game. He is a right arm fast bowler. He made his international debut in November 2014 in limited-overs cricket before going on to make his Test debut in November 2015. By January 2018, he had topped both the ICC ODI bowler rankings and the ICC Test bowler rankings aged 22. In July 2018, he became the youngest bowler to take 150 wickets in Tests.
Mustafizur Rahman is a Bangladeshi international cricketer. A left-arm medium fast bowler, he is recognized for his most prolific 'slower cutters' all over the world. Born on 6 September 1995, in Satkhira, Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman's career took off during the 2015 Bangladesh Premier League when he caught the attention of cricket pundits with his ability to bowl accurate cutters and slower deliveries, earning him the nickname "The Fizz." This talent quickly propelled him to international prominence. He plays for Chennai Super Kings in IPL and is a left-arm fast-medium bowler.
Mohammed Siraj is an Indian international cricketer who plays as a right-arm fast bowler for the Indian national team. He also plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League and Hyderabad in domestic cricket. He was a part of the Indian squad which won the 2023 Asia Cup, where he was the Player of the Match in the final against Sri Lanka. He was a member of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Arshdeep Singh Aulakh is an Indian professional cricketer who plays for the India national cricket team. In Indian domestic cricket, he plays for Punjab and for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League. Arshdeep is a left-arm medium-fast bowler. He was an integral member of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup, and was the joint-highest wicket taker of the tournament. Singh was also member of the Indian U-19 World cup 2018 winning squad.
The England cricket team toured India during February and March 2021 to play four Test matches, three One Day International (ODI) and five Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. The Tests formed part of the inaugural 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, and the ODI series formed part of the inaugural 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. In December 2020, the full itinerary was released with three venues hosting the entire tour.
The Australian cricket team toured India in September 2022 to play three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches as a preparatory series before 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. They later returned in February and March 2023 to play four Test and three One Day International (ODI) matches. The Test matches formed part of the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship.
Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann has rated India's Ravichandran Ashwin as the best Test spinner in the world while picking Afghanistan's Rashid Khan as the best in Twenty20s. "Ashwin is easily the best off-spinner in the world."