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International cricket has been played for 147 years. Till now 7334 players have played for teams of different countries and out of these, more than 5000 players have retired. Do we remember all those 5000 players? No? After retirement, those stars are remembered who leave their mark on the game. Like Don Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan… the name of another legend has been added to this list. Ravichandran Ashwin’s.
He took the shocking decision to bid goodbye to international cricket on the last day of the Brisbane Test against Australia. In the story, we will know about those four legacies of Ashwin, which are going to keep him in our minds forever.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the highest wicket-taker off-spinner for India.
1. Legendary Spinner
So far 3198 players have bowled in Test cricket. Of these, only 9 took 500 wickets in their career. Out of these 9, 4 are fast bowlers. There were only 5 spinners who took 500 or more wickets. Apne Ashwin Anna is one of these five. Only the second spinner for India after Anil Kumble.
Among the different species of spinners, if we talk about off-spinners, till the announcement of retirement, only Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan is ahead of Ashwin. Including all three formats, Ashwin has taken 765 wickets. Among spinners, only Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble have taken more wickets than him.
2. Fighting Allrounder
Ashwin started his first class career as an opener. Later he became a spinner. He came to Team India as a spinner, but he did not forget his batting skills. He also scored 3503 runs for India in Test cricket with the help of 6 centuries. After former England fast bowler Stuart Broad, he is only the second all-rounder in the world to have taken more than 500 wickets and also scored more than 3500 runs in Tests. Ashwin is the only one among the bowlers who have taken 500 wickets, who has scored more than 1 century.
Ashwin has 6 centuries to his name in Test cricket.
Including all three formats, Ashwin has taken 765 wickets and also scored 4394 runs with the help of 6 centuries. Among the bowlers who have taken more than 700 wickets in international cricket, Wasim Akram is the only one who has scored more runs (6615 runs) than Ashwin.
3. Street Smart Cricketer
Ashwin was an engineer before becoming a cricketer. The smartness of an engineer is visible in his game too. Let us understand this by remembering two famous examples.
- Mankading Josh Butler Ashwin had dismissed Josh Butler during the IPL match in 2019. When a bowler runs out the non-striker standing outside the crease before delivering the ball, it is called mankading. This is considered a controversial way to dismiss a batsman, but Ashwin always says that players should stay within the rules. Buttler was standing outside the crease and under the rules it was right to dismiss him, so he did so. ICC later named this runout as non-striker runout. In 2019, Punjab defeated Rajasthan in the match after Ashwin dismissed Butler.
- 2 runs were needed on 1 ball and Ashwin left the ball. This incident happened during the India-Pakistan match in the 2022 T20 World Cup. India needed 2 runs to win on the last ball. The Pakistani bowler bowled the ball and Ashwin did not play any shot on it. Ashwin had already anticipated that the ball would go outside the leg stump and would be wide. So did happen. Then India needed 1 run on 1 ball and Ashwin scored this 1 run on the next ball and gave India victory. In the T-20 World Cup, against Pakistan, Ravi Ashwin left the ball going to the leg side, after which India won the match.
Due to his smartness, Ashwin always remained included in the core of team management. Even though many times he was not a part of the playing-11, the captain-coach used to prepare strategies only after taking his advice.
Ashwin won 2 ICC trophies with the Indian team. 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.
4. Undisputed Series Winner
Ashwin was selected Player of the Match 10 times in 106 Test matches. From India, only Sachin Tendulkar (14 times) and Rahul Dravid (11 times) could receive this award more times than him. Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble are at par with him.
Ashwin was more of a series winner than a match winner, because he got the Player of the Match award 10 times, but the Player of the Series award 11 times. That means his overall performance in any series was better than other players. Muttiah Muralitharan was also the Player of the Series the same number of times. All the other cricketers of the world are behind Ashwin.
Cartoon: Mansoor Naqvi