New Delhi: Ace Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shocked the entire nation on Wednesday after he announced his decision to retire from all the forms of cricket. The decision was shocking as the magical India spinner bid adieu to cricket in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, just after the culmination of the Brisbane Test match which ended in a draw.
Ashwin played his last Test match for India in Adelaide, which ended on a sad note as the visitors lost it by 10 wickets. Ashwin, who was a consistent performer for India in whites, scored 29 runs off the bat and also claimed a wicket in his last international appearance for the country in the red-ball format. The entire cricketing fraternity lauded the ace player for his contribution towards Indian cricket in these years.
As the magician of India spin calls it quits from cricket, we take a look at the some of the memorable bowling spells of Ashwin which made headlines.
7/66 vs South Africa, 2015
After making his international debut in 2010, Ashwin started making the headlines from the 2013 Champions Trophy only but in 2015 match against South Africa, his lethal spin bowling came into limelight. In the Nagpur Test match held against the Proteas, Ashwin had showcased his skills by taking a five-fer in the first innings but he did not stop there as he claimed seven wickets in the second innings to complete a total of 12 wickets in the match. His match-winning figures of 7/66 powered India to massive victory.
7/59 vs New Zealand, 2016
After stamping his authority against the Proteas, Ashwin registered his best bowling figures against New Zealand a year later in 2016. In the second innings of the Test match, Ashwin registered remarkable figures of 7/59, after claiming 6 wickets in the first innings and ended the game on a high with 13 wickets to his name.
4/8 vs Sri Lanka, 2016
2016 proved to be an exceptional year for R Ashwin as apart from his heroics in Test, he also exhibited class in the shortest format as well. Ashwin showcased his skills in the third T20I game against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam. In his four overs, Ashwin claimed four wickets conceding just eight runs as the Lankans were bundled out for a paltry score and India chased it effortlessly.
4/34 vs KXIP, 2016
In the same year, Ravichandran Ashwin came up up with another deadly spell in the IPL match against Punjab Kings. Conceding just 34 runs in his four overs, Ashwin claimed four wickets in the game proving out to be a standout bowler for his side.
5/43 and 3/53 vs England (Chennai, 2021)
In the Test match against England, Ashwin rattled the English batting side with figures of 5/43, helping India defend their first inning score of 329 ably. He clinched three more wickets in the second innings guiding India to a huge victory. Apart from his bowling heroics of 8 wickets, Ashwin, known for his all-round abilities also smashed a powerful century.
India’s spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Wednesday, just after the culmination of the Brisbane Test match. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
