Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin is an Indian right-arm spinner who announced his retirement from Test cricket on December 18, 2024. Ashwin retired with 537 wickets to his name, his Test wicket tally is the second-highest for India, behind Anil Kumble’s 619. Ashwin’s 37 Test five-fors are only bettered by Muttiah Muralidaran (67) in Test cricket.

Ashwin first came into national reckoning due to his exploits with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. He was soon called up for India in ODIs and was part of the team that lifted the 2011 World Cup. He rarely got to play in the tournament though because of the presence of Harbhajan Singh. He kept on progressing and was soon given a Test call up. Any doubts that may have been there about his abilities in the longest format was dispelled when he took nine wickets on debut against West Indies. He took nine five wicket hauls in his first fifteen Tests, thus cementing his position in the side. 2013 turned out to be a bad year for him as he sat out six Tests. He made a few minor tweaks to his bowling style and came back in the 2015 Test series against South Africa taking 31 wickets in India's 3-0 victory. Ashwin is also a handy lower order batsmen and had started as an opener in the domestic circuit before switching to spin. He has two Test centuries to his name.