Ravichandran Ashwin’s greatest feat: Being a consistent match-winner in Test cricket

Ravichandran took 537 wickets in Tests, only behind Anil Kumble as his country’s highest wicket-taker, with the most player of the series awards in Tests, with the second most five-wicket hauls in an innings.

India's premier off-spinner R Ashwin on Wednesday surprised the cricketing world by announcing his retirement with immediate effect in the middle of the Test series against Australia. (PTI)

Written by: Sandip G

3 min readDec 18, 2024 08:12 PM IST First published on: Dec 18, 2024 at 11:57 AM IST

In the grand lineage of India’s spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin would inhabit a rarified space, a space unto himself. There have been wizards and magicians, artistes and artisans, but few explored the craft with the fervour of a scientist, driven by an unflinching passion to locate its deepest meaning. So much so that it seemed Ashwin bowled not so much to pick wickets as to reach one step closer to understanding the soul of spin bowling, a dutiful pilgrimage.

The outcome of the spiritual quest was exemplary. He nabbed 537 wickets in Tests, only behind Anil Kumble as his country’s highest wicket-taker, with the most player of the series awards in Tests, with the second most five-wicket hauls in an innings. The average (24) and strike rate (50) are the finest by any Indian spinner of any era, the numbers clearly asserting that he was one of India’s greatest match-winners in the longest format. Not to discount the six hundreds and 14 half-centuries sprinkled with glorious cover drives, but Ashwin the match-winning spinner towers above the all the other accompanying faces of his.