Ravichandran Ashwin, born September 17, 1986, initially looked at as more of a Twenty20 (T20) bowler, Ashwin has since blossomed into a terrific Test bowler as well. Ashwin contributes to the team in every discipline; his dependable batting and secure slip fielding make him an excellent all-rounder.
Here are some 10 interesting facts about Ravichandran Ashwin
1. Ravichandran or Ashwin?
There is some confusion regarding the real name of the man we all know as Ravichandran Ashwin. His father’s name is Ravichandran, and his name is Ashwin. Perhaps calling him R Ashwin will be best.
2. Cricket in his blood
Ravichandran, who worked for Southern Railways, played club cricket for Egmore Excelsiors for over a decade. It was for the same club that Ashwin would make his early cricketing strides.
3. Early values
Ashwin’s mother Chitra was quite strict regarding his studies. While both parents supported Ashwin’s cricketing career, they were firm about his education as well. Chitra told Mid-Day, “We never compromise on education, and Ashwin was mature enough to accept that.”
4. Opening batsman
One of the reasons Ashwin is such a good lower-order batsman is that at the start of his cricketing pursuits, he was an opening batsman. Facing a new ball for a bulk of his early days ensured that his technique is more than impressive for someone who bats so low down the order.
5. A severe injury
The major reason for Ashwin’s batting taking a back seat was due to a severe injury he picked up as a teenager. When he was 14, Ashwin injured his pelvic area. The horrific injury resulted in a tear in the ligaments between his hip bones. This caused blood to leak into the bone joints, diffusing them. Chitra said of the injury, “He would have had implants which would have put a halt to his cricket career. Luckily, we sought a second opinion from another orthopedic doctor…We had to put him in bed rest for two months, and he was out of action for almost eight months. Even after that, he was limping for some time.”
6. Highest partnership
Had it not been for Ashwin and Rohit, Sachin Tendulkar’s penultimate Test could have ended quite differently. After West Indies were bowled out for 234 (Ashwin accounted for Chanderpaul and Veersammy Permaul) in the first Test at Eden Gardens in 2013, Shane Shillingford reduced India to 156 for 6 before Ashwin joined debutant Rohit. The duo put on a fantastic 280 runs for the seventh wicket; an Indian record. India finally got to 453, and India bowled out West Indies for 168 (Ashwin took three more wickets) to win by an innings and 51 runs.
7. Sanga’s bane
Kumar Sangakkara may have terrorized bowlers for over a decade, but in the dying moments of his career, he succumbed to Ashwin repeatedly. Sangakkara’s final Test series came against India at home in 2015. He played only the first two Tests, at Galle and P Sara Oval, Colombo. However, the Sri Lankan maestro failed to get to a half-century any of his final four innings, succumbing to Ashwin on all four occasions. Ashwin became the only bowler in history to dismiss Sangakkara in four successive innings.
8. True all-rounder
Ashwin is the joint-fastest (with Ian Botham and Jack Gregory) to the double of 50 wickets and 500 runs. All three men got to the landmark in their 11th Tests. Ashwin’s impressive all-around skills can be further defined; among all Indians with the 100 wicket-1,000 run double, Ashwin’s batting average of 34.26 is second only to Ravi Shastri, while his bowling average of 25.20 is the best. This makes his overall numbers better than the likes of Kapil Dev, Vinoo Mankad, and Anil Kumble.
9. Awards aplenty
Ashwin was conferred with an Arjuna award — India’s highest sporting honor — in 2014. He was also named BCCI’s cricketer of the year in 2012-13.
10. Marrying a friend
Ashwin married his childhood friend Prithi Narayanan in 2011 after he made his Test debut against West Indies. Ashwin responded by taking four wickets in his next Test — which ended in an Indian win — before starring in the third and final Test with 5 for 156 and 4 for 34 in addition to scoring 103, his maiden Test ton. He was then run out off the final ball of the Test with the scores level and India nine wickets down.
