Indian cricket remained witness to an emotional moment on Wednesday, December 18, in Brisbane when Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the best contemporary spinners, called it a day from all three international formats of the game with immediate effect. The 38-year-old off-spinner, who played only one game in the current five-match series Down Under, which was in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, was not in his best of touch of late, and he took a timely call to pave the way for next-generation players like the Washington Sundars and Axar Patel waiting in the wings.
While Ashwin’s irregular appearance in the national side despite having 537 Test and 765 international wickets looked unusual and hinted at the player’s losing his sheen in the company of young blood, it can’t be denied that the veteran tirelessly carried out the national duty for a long time in the post-Anil Kumble era.
Ashwin was not only a bowler who delivered with a thinking mind and chipped in with the bat several times when the team needed it, but he was also fiercely competitive on the ground and a captain’s asset on any given day. He was the highest wicket-taker in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle of 2023-25 not long ago before losing the spot to Jasprit Bumrah, who played more regularly.
India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests has been an architect of several famous wins that India registered since his debut in 2011, especially at home, where he picked more than 71 percent of his wickets. His 537 Test wickets came in 106 matches at a strike rate of 50.7 with 37 five-wicket hauls, out of which 29 were registered at home. He did not have a single five-fer in the SENA countries.
Ashwin also has 156 scalps in the 50-over and 72 in the T20 formats, but his primary identity remains more as a force with the red ball.
Here we list the five most significant international performances of Ashwin with the ball:
Six wickets for 47 runs against West Indies in Delhi, 1st Test, November 2011
It was Ashwin’s debut Test, and he made a mark straightaway. He played an important part in the first innings to pick three wickets for 81 runs as India bowled the West Indies out for 304. But the hosts got all out for 209 in response, conceding a crucial 95-run lead. Ashwin, 25, then produced a superb spell in the second innings after opening the bowling with fellow spinner Pragyan Ojha. He knocked six Caribbean batters out in 21.3 overs for just 47 runs, and his scalps included the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Daren Sammy and Marlon Samuels. The West Indies were all out for 180 in the second essay, and India overhauled the target of 276 with five wickets in hand, with Sachin Tendulkar leading with 76. With nine wickets for 128 runs, Ashwin was adjudged the player of the match.
Seven wickets for 59 runs against New Zealand in Indore, 3rd Test, October 2016
Ashwin was in a murderous mood with the ball in this series against New Zealand, and his show in the third match of the three-game series was particularly brutal. Having pocketed the series 2-0, India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat. His own double hundred saw the hosts declaring after piling up a mammoth total of 557/5. The Kiwis started their response well, but Ashwin put a check, and his 6 for 81 saw the visitors getting all out for 299. India declared their second innings on 216 for 3 to set the Kiwis a big target of 475. Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja gave India the initial breakthroughs, and then it was all Ashwin. In just 13.5 overs, he dismissed seven New Zealand batters for a paltry 59 runs to help India bowl the opponents out for 153 and win by 321 runs, clinching the series 3-0. Ashwin ended up with 13 wickets for just 140 runs in the match and 27 scalps in the series, which made his selection as both the player of the match and the series inevitable.
Four wickets for 11 runs against Australia in Mirpur in T20 World Cup 2014
India were on a roll in the T20 World Cup and were unbeaten when they f
aced Australia in a Super 10 match in Mirpur, Bangladesh. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side had a perfect three-out-of-three record going into the match, while Australia had lost both the games they had played. George Bailey’s side won the toss and asked India to bat first. Powered by Yuvraj Singh’s 60, India reached a total of 159 for 7 in 20 overs, not a very good total if judged by favourable batting conditions in subcontinent pitches. But Australia were pegged back right at the beginning by Ashwin, who dismissed both the Australian openers – Aaron Finch and David Warner. Australia could never recover from the early setbacks. Ashwin also sent back the dangerous Glenn Maxwell and picked James Muirhead to end up with fantastic figures of 4 for 11 in 3.2 overs. Australia were all out for 86 in less than 17 overs, and it was the end of their road in that World Cup. The Player of the Match Award went to Ashwin.
Four wickets for 62 runs against England in Birmingham, 1st Test, August 2018
Ashwin did not have a remarkable success in England conditions, picking up only 18 wickets in seven Tests in that country at a strike rate of 66.7. But the game where he produced his best show identified his class. On a hard wicket at Edgbaston, where the ball did not turn much, Ashwin bowled beautifully with consistent lengths and at slower speeds to make exploits when India’s pacers were less effective. Ashwin led the bowling attack to pick four wickets for 62 runs, and some of his prized scalps were Alastair Cook, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. It was because of Ashwin’s performance that India restricted England below 300 in the first innings and below 200 in the second innings when he picked three. Yet, India finished second-best in the game as they failed to chase down a moderate target of 194, with Sam Curran running away with the show. The 4 for 62 remained Ashwin’s best Test bowling in England.
Seven wickets for 83 runs against West Indies in Antigua, 1st Test, July 2016
While Ashwin had a good record against the West Indies, including in the Caribbeans, the first Test during India’s 2016 tour was interesting. In that game, the ace spinner went without a wicket in the first innings after India posted a mammoth 566 for 8 declared, with captain Kohli slamming a double hundred. Even Ashwin himself hit a century. Amit Mishra, the other spinner, got a couple. But in the second innings, after the visitors bowled the hosts out for 243 and enforced a follow-on, Ashwin discovered his rhythm with the ball, and it was an explosive one. After opening pacers Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami took the first two West Indies wickets, it was all Ashwin Show as he picked seven of the remaining eight with the remaining one going to Mishra. The West Indies were all out for 231 in their second essay to lose by an innings and 92 runs. This performance of Ashwin showed how much rhythm mattered for a bowler like him.
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