A Legacy That Will Stand the Test of Time
International cricket has been played for 147 years. So far 7,334 players have played for teams of different countries and more than 5,000 of these 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 Muralithara, the name of another legend has been added to this list. Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ravichandran Ashwin concludes his career as the second-highest wicket-taker in international cricket among Indian players.
— Betbricks7exchange (@Betbricks7exch) December 18, 2024
🫡 A legacy that will stand the test of time and be cherished forever 🫡#ravichandranashwin #Ashwin #GabbaTest #INDvAUS #AshwinRetires #AshAnna pic.twitter.com/Nu4z18yYG5
He took the shocking decision to say goodbye to international cricket on the last day of the Brisbane Test against Australia. In this article, we will know about those four legacies of Ashwin, which will always keep him in our mind.
Legendary Spinner
So far 3198 players have bowled in Test cricket. Out of these, only 9 have taken 500 wickets in a career. Out of these 9, 4 are fast bowlers. There have been only 5 spinners who have taken 500 or more wickets. One of these five is our Ashwin Anna. India’s second spinner after Anil Kumble. Talking about off-spinners, only Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan is ahead of Ashwin till the announcement of retirement. Ashwin has taken 765 wickets in all three formats. Among spinners, only Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble have taken more wickets than him.
Top Class All-rounder
Ashwin started his first-class career as an opening batsman. Later he became a spinner. He came to Team India as a spinner, but did not forget his batting skills. He also scored 3503 runs with the help of 6 centuries for India in Test cricket. After former England fast bowler Stuart Broad, he is the second all-rounder in the world to take more than 500 wickets in Tests and score more than 3,500 runs. Among the bowlers who have taken 500 wickets, Ashwin is the only one who has scored more than 1 century. In all three formats, Ashwin has taken 765 wickets and scored 4394 runs with the help of 6 centuries. Among the bowlers who have taken more than 700 wickets in international cricket, only Wasim Akram has scored more runs (6615) than Ashwin.
Ravichandran #Ashwin retires as a legend of Indian cricket: 765 intl. wickets, 37 five-wicket hauls and 3503 Test runs. A cornerstone of ICC triumphs, WTC dominance, and unmatched wizardry, his legacy will inspire generations. Congratulations on a stellar career, @ashwinravi99. pic.twitter.com/PV0n66BwcH
— P C Mohan (@PCMohanMP) December 18, 2024
Street Smart Cricketer
Ashwin was an engineer before becoming a cricketer. The intelligence of an engineer is also seen in his game. Let’s understand this with two examples. Due to his intelligence, Ashwin has always been a part of the core of team management. Although he was not often a part of the playing 11, the captain-coach used to prepare the strategy by following his advice.
The Series Winner
Ashwin has been named Player of the Match 10 times in 106 Test matches. From India, only Sachin Tendulkar (14 times) and Rahul Dravid (11 times) have received this award more times than him. Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble are equal to him. He got the Man of the Match award 10 times but won the Player of the Series award 11 times. That is, his overall performance in any series was better than other players. Muttiah Muralitharan was also the Player of the Series many times. All the other cricketers of the world are after Ashwin in terms of statistics.