Ravichandran Ashwin: A cricketing orchestration built on harmony between skill and will
Ravichandran Ashwin, a cricketer renowned for springing surprises and embodying variety on and off the field, just pulled off another at the end of a largely dull Brisbane Test between India and Australia. Unfortunately, on this occasion, the feeling among Indian cricket fans is one of dumbfoundment instead of the usual amazement.
Tamil Nadu's beloved cricketing son called it a day from the international arena, waving an incredibly painful goodbye to the Indian jersey he has proudly represented a decade and a half. Ravichandran, a name of Sanskrit origin, means 'sun and moon' and quite often he was that for Team India, especially in the whites.
While most of his illustrious career felt like a battle to annihilate the skeptics, little did many understand Ashwin was all too often playing chess to others' checkers. Yet, he wasn't one of those naturally gifted athletes with freakish ability.
But the admirable quality of constant evolution in skill met by an inimitable will made Ashwin inarguably an all-time great and an Indian cricketing icon.
However, the suddenness and the sadness are undeniable, considering Ashwin's words on retirement in 2017 when he was still to scale the 300-wicket mark in Tests.
"I am a big fan of Anil Kumble and he has got 619 wickets. If I get to 618 wickets, I will be very thankful too and, and if I get to 618, that will be my last Test match," he said.
What seemed like a distant dream with Ashwin on 292 Test wickets had turned into reality with the champion spinner on 537 scalps and still seemingly as driven as ever.
Yet, he continues to be cut from a different cloth, with his art of pulling a rabbit out of the hat second to none.
From Carrom ball to IPL Auctioneer - Ravichandran Ashwin's unprecedented journey
Very few cricketers, if any, have provided fans with wholesome feeling about everything cricket and otherwise like Ravichandran Ashwin. Often outspoken, Ashwin's brand was built of a beautiful meeting between the brain and the brawn.
His cerebral approach to everything on and off the field, combined with a delectable charisma throughout, had fans glued to their screens when the champion cricketer was in action with the ball or the mic. One moment, Ashwin could be making a batter dance to his tunes with a 'reverse carrom ball' and within the blink of an eye, deliver a Rajnikanth dialogue on his YouTube channel.
The 38-year-old utilized his various platforms to unequivocally protect his teammates and fellow cricketers against the naysayers, detailing the various nuances of the sport and the hardships players go through.
Ashwin's intelligence and humor quotient met to a tee, resulting in moments like the recent IPL mock auction on his channel where he played the auctioneer and guided participants on the ideal bidding price when his own name came up!!
Hence, it was fitting that Ashwin was at his witty and transparent best with his parting words during the retirement announcement. He said:
"I must say I created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates. Even though I lost some of them over the last few years, we are the last bunch of OGs, if you can say that, left out of the dressing room. Thanks for being the journalists that you have been, writing good things and of course writing nasty things on occasions. That’s a relationship I think we would maintain forever and I hope the cricketers to come in the future will also get the same amount of love."
The above words, in many ways, sum up Ashwin perfectly - outspoken, humorous and witty, yet self-aware and sentimental.
Ashwin's out-of-the-blue retirement - An admirably rare case of 'why' over 'when'
![Ashwin has officially passed the off-spinning baton to Washington Sundar [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/4ee9f-17345188259036-1920.jpg?w=500)
One of the painful ironies of sports is how several legendary performers, hailed and celebrated throughout their careers, lose their sheen among even their die-hard fans by playing beyond their proverbial expiration date. The examples are aplenty in cricket, especially among Indian and largely Asian players, who will go unnamed.
Timing your retirement, especially for a stalwart, sounds easier than it actually is. Several star performers have been guilty of clinging beyond their prime, leading to uncomfortable questions from experts and fans on when they will call it quits.
Yet, in Ashwin's case, his retirement has sparked terms like 'why' and 'not so soon', among others, which ultimately should be music to a cricketer's ears. It speaks to his character that there is a willingness to allow the next generation to realize their dreams and flourish as he once did all those years back.
Lest we forget, Ashwin is the sixth leading wicket-taker just this year and coming off a Player of the Series performance less than three months ago against Bangladesh.
How many cricketers have scored a century and picked up a five-wicket haul in the same Test? Ashwin produced just that five Test matches back and here he was walking away from the sport he ate, lived and breathed on and off the field.
Perhaps, he came to the realization that the time was right for his Tamil Nadu successor Washington Sundar to take over the off-spinning reigns of Indian cricket. While Ashwin endured a dismal home series against New Zealand, Sundar shone brightly and that possibly turned out to be the passing of the torch moment.
May the seamless transition to the next generation begin says Ashwin as he bids adieu and has Indian fans ask a sad yet celebratory 'why' instead of the furious and the customary 'when'.
Ravichandran Ashwin - India's Test GOAT?
While today, December 18, will be filled with tributary notes, almost everyone associated with cricket knows what the next series of events will likely be, don't we? Where does Ravichandran Ashwin stand among all-time Indian greats in Tests? Is he the greatest of them all?
Before we jump into that, it would be a gross disservice to not pay homage to Ashwin's underrated white-ball numbers for India. The champion off-spinner finishes with 156 ODI wickets in 116 outings, having played a massive role in India winning the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.
Ashwin's T20I numbers were even better with 72 wickets in 65 matches at an average of 23.32 and an economy of under 7. He was India's leading wicket-taker and fourth overall in the 2014 T20 World Cup with 11 wickets at an average of 11.27 and an economy of 5.35, helping the side finish as runners-up.
Yet, even those outstanding numbers pale in comparison to Ashwin's accomplishment in the Test arena. For starters, he is the seventh leading wicket-taker in Test history with 537 wickets at an average of 24 in 106 matches.
He is second all-time in wickets among Indian cricketers behind only Anil Kumble and his 37 five-wicket hauls are the most by an Indian bowler. Just these should make Ashwin an undeniable top-three Indian bowler of all time in the red-ball format.
Yet, where Ashwin stands out is his ability to be the side's go-to bowler, while also being a reliable lower-order batter. The veteran is the only Indian cricketer with 500 wickets and 3,000 runs in Tests, including an incredible six centuries.
Other extraordinary Test records include winning the joint-most Player of the Series awards (11) overall, joint-most ten-wicket hauls for India (8) and second all-time for a century and five-wicket haul in the same match.
Beyond the numbers, Ashwin's winning impact and the balance he lent to the Indian side for over a decade were second to none. For the record, he boasted stunning batting and bowling averages of 29.45 and 18.99 in 61 Indian Test wins.
Ashwin was undeniably the flagbearer of India's unparalleled home dominance that saw them go unbeaten in a series for over a decade from 2012/13 to the recent New Zealand series. India's back-to-back World Test Championship (WTC) final qualifications in 2021 and 2023 stemmed largely from Ashwin ensuring India dominated at home like no other side in the modern era.
Do all of these qualify for GOAT status in Indian Test cricket? Those diluting such a decorated career to specific and filtered numbers will never entertain such a thought, whereas others with a more wholesome perspective will unanimously acknowledge Ashwin as one of the GOATs of India's rich Test tapestry.
What next for Ravichandran Ashwin?
Ravichandran Ashwin might even breathe without oxygen but it is near impossible to see a scenario in which his life is devoid of cricket.
Even at such a bittersweet moment, it is worth remembering that the all-rounder has a grand homecoming on its way with the return to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for IPL 2025. That and other club cricket aside, Ashwin will almost assuredly look to give back to a game he has lived with longer on a daily basis than perhaps even with his family.
As a reassurance, his parting words during the retirement announcement confirmed just that.
"As a cricketer, I’ll just stop and I might go on to be involved with the game because this is a game that has given me everything," said Ashwin.
As Ashwin's cricketing idol, Anil Kumble rightly said about the Tamil Nadu spinner before his 100th Test:
"Maybe people will realise the quality of Ash…. I know people are talking about him and what he has achieved already but especially in a country like India, bowlers don't get the same kind of adulation that batters do. That's the nature of how we look at cricket in our country. We will probably realise his quality when retires and moves on. But in my book, Ash is in the top tier of players who have played for the country."
When India struggle to break a crucial partnership or find themselves at 150/6 in upcoming Tests, the 'Dial Ravichandran Ashwin' will no longer be readily available as it has been for the past 14 years. Perhaps then, the skeptics and the critics can look past what this cricketing warrior hasn't achieved and celebrate the innumerable feats he has, that oftentimes went unnoticed and taken for granted.
Ashwin often measured his success and joy not with the numbers or records, but with how the ball came out of his hands. While the whole of India will miss the 'Come on Ash' chants, 'Indran-Chandran' memes and Ashwin dominating the headline after breaking another Test record, it is safe to say the 'cricketing scientist' has left Indian cricket in a much better place.
Ravichandran Ashwins don't grow on palm trees and Team India and their fans were fortunate to celebrate one for 14 glorious years.
Ash, time to put up your feet, rest those broad shoulders that carried the nation on the cricketing field and carve out several 'Kutti Stories' for the fans to relive and relish.