Ravichandran Ashwin

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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, Ashwin made his Test debut against West Indies and became the seventh Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul on debut. He 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, he 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. On 18 December 2024, Ashwin announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket. He was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, by the Government of India in January 2025.

In Their Own Story

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. His T20I debut came a week later, against Zimbabwe at Harare where he took 1/22 in four overs in an Indian win. Ashwin was part of the squad for the 2010 Asia Cup, which India won. 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. 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. 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. 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. Ashwin played only two matches in World cup, which India won, defeating Sri Lanka in the finals. 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. Ashwin made his Test debut in the first match at Delhi, earning his cap from Sachin Tendulkar. 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. 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. 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.

Reader's Guide

Ravichandran Ashwin is a right-arm off spin bowler and a lower order batter. He started as an opening batsman but dropped down the order due to limited success and turned into an off-break bowler. He has taken more than 500 wickets in Tests and was the fastest bowler to reach 300 test wickets in terms of number of innings. He has won eleven Man of the Series awards in Tests, which is the most for any cricketer, along with Muttiah Muralitharan. As an all-rounder in Test cricket, he bats down the order, has scored six Test centuries and is one of only three players to have scored 3000 runs and taken 500 wickets in Tests. He had been the highest-ranked bowler in the ICC men's player rankings multiple times, and holds the record for the second highest rating points by an Indian bowler ever in Test cricket. In the 2015–16 season, he 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.

Did You Know?

• Ashwin was the fastest bowler to reach 300 test wickets in terms of number of innings.
• He has won eleven Man of the Series awards in Tests, which is the most for any cricketer, along with Muttiah Muralitharan.
• He is one of only three players to have scored 3000 runs and taken 500 wickets in Tests.
• Ashwin took 29 wickets in a series against Australia, the most by any Indian bowler in a four-match Test series.
• He was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, by the Government of India in January 2025.