 "India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin enjoyed a stellar international career, more so in Tests, finishing with 537 wickets in the longest format. Reuters")
Ravichandran Ashwin officially wrapped up a remarkable 14-year career in international cricket on Wednesday after he announced retirement following the drawn third Test between Australia and India at Brisbane’s Gabba. The 38-year-old retires from international cricket after having played 287 matches for India across formats, and scoring 4,394 runs while also taking 765 wickets.
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Ashwin had made his India debut on 5 June, 2010 in an ODI against Sri Lanka during a tri-series featuring Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe. He had finished with figures of 2/50 in that match. A year later, in November 2011, Ashwin made his Test debut during a match against West Indies in Delhi. He marked his arrival in style, taking nine wickets across both the innings including a six-fer in the second innings, helping India win by five wickets.
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In the longest format, Ashwin would go onto break several records over the years and scale new heights. Let’s now take a look at some top records that the 38-year-old has broken:
—When Ashwin got his 500th Test wicket earlier this year, he became the second-fastest cricketer to achieve the milestone. Ashwin achieved the feat in his 98th Test, whereas Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan reached the landmark in 87 matches.
—Ashwin is also one of the only three cricketers to score 3000 runs and take 500 wickets in Tests. The late Shane Warne and Stuart Broad are the only other cricketers to do so.
—Ashwin finished as the second highest-wicket taker for India in Tests at home. Anil Kumble, with 476 wickets, continues to lead this chart. Ashwin finished with 475 wickets in Tests at home. Ashwin is also the second Indian bowler, after Kumble, to have taken more than 500 wickets in Tests (537 wickets in total).
Impact Shorts
More Shorts—Taking the matches played into account, Ashwin is the fastest Indian to get to 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 Test wickets.
—The spinner has 37 Test five-wicket hauls to his name and only Muralitharan has a better record than Ashwin when it comes to five-fers (67 five-fers in Tests).
—Apart from Ashwin, only three spinners have taken a five-wicket haul and scored a century in the same Test. They are Vinoo Mankad, Polly Umrigar and Ravindra Jadeja.
—The Chennai-born cricketer has won 11 Player of the Series awards. This is the most by any player in Tests.
—Ashwin is also one of the three bowlers to have bowled-LBW batters more than 300 times in Tests. Ashwin has dismissed batters bowled-LBW on 302 occasions, with Muralitharan (336) leading this table and James Anderson (320) behind him.
—Ashwin has cleaned up batters a total of 109 times in Tests. He ranks in fourth place for bowlers inflicting clean bowled dismissals in Tests.