Ravichandran Ashwin Biography | Career | Stats | Family

Ravichandran Ashwin is a famous Indian international cricketer and an all-rounder from Team India. Born in Chennai on September 17 in 1986, Ashwin made his International debut in 2010.

Ashwin started his career as a medium-fast bowler and a batsman, even Ashwin has played for India in U-17 cricket as a batsman. But due to a hip injury, he had to change his decision, after which he tried his hand at off-spin bowling and the result is in front of everyone. Ashwin is the number-one bowler in the world today.

R Ashwin plays a key role in India’s successful path to the World Test Champions finals.

Ravichandran Ashwin – Biography

Ravichandran Ashwin Career

Domestic Career

• Ashwin used to play junior-level cricket as an opening batsman but later turned out to be a bowler.
• He played for Tamil Nadu in 2006 and was selected as a captain for that team in the next year.

IPL Career

Ashwin made his IPL debut during the year 2009 when he played two matches and bagged two wickets in the tournament for Chennai Super Kings.

• He came into the limelight when he was picked by Chennai Super Kings in 2010. He played a full season where he scored 30 runs and bagged 13 wickets.
  • His remarkable performance in the 2010 Indian Premier League (IPL 3), after which he was selected in the Indian squad that toured Zimbabwe in May–June 2010.
• He played for CSK in the year 2011 where he played 16 matches and bagged 20 wickets in the season.
• During the IPL 2012, he played in 19 matches where he bagged 14 wickets with an average of 28.21. He scored only 18 runs in the tournament.
• In IPL 2013 he played for CSK where he played 18 matches to pick 15 wickets with a economy of 6.72.
• He played for the Chennai franchise during the IPL 2014 where he played 16 matches and bagged 16 wickets.
• During IPL 2015, he made his last appearance for Chennai Super Kings where he played 14 matches to bag 10 wickets with a bowling return of 2/5. He had maintained an economy of 5.84.
• He played for Pune in the year 2016 where he played 14 matches and bagged 10 wickets.
• With no participation in IPL 2017, he played for Kings 11 Punjab during IPL 2018 season, where he bagged 10 wickets.
• He played for Delhi Capitals in the year 2020-21 where he bagged 13 wickets in 15 matches.
• Ashwin set to play for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021 after DC retained him ahead of IPL 2021 Auction.
• He was bought by Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2022 where he played 17 matches to bag 12 wickets.
• He played for the same franchise during the IPL 2023 where he played 13 matches to bag 14 wickets.

International Career

Test Career

Ashwin was named in the Test squad which is set to play in the West Indies tour of India in 2011. He made his test cricket debut in Delhi and got his cap from Sachin Tendulkar. He also received the man of the match in the same match.

• During the first test of the tour played between November 06-09, 2011 where India won the match by 5 wickets. He dismissed three batters during the first innings and dismissed 6 batters during the second innings of the match.
  • He dismissed two batters in both the first innings and second innings of the second match played on November 14-17, 2011 where India won the match by an inning and 15 runs.
  • He bagged a total of 9 wickets during the third test of the West Indies tour of India played between November 22-26, 2011. The match concluded in a draw.
• During the first Test of the New Zealand tour of India in 2012, he claimed 6 wickets in the 1st innings of the test played on August 23-27 where India won the match by an innings and 115 runs.
  • He bagged six wickets during the second match of the Test match played on August 31 where India won the match by 5 wickets.
• He was part of England’s tour of India in 2012 where Ashwin became the fastest Indian to record 50 wickets in Test cricket as he overhauled the milestone.
• He was highly successful in Australia’s 2013 Test tour to India. He dismissed 29 wickets on the tour, which is the most wicket-taker by any Indian bowler in a four-match Test series
  • During the first test match of the tour played between February 22 and 26, Ashwin bagged 12 wickets including both innings of the match. Virat Kohli scored 107 runs while MS Dhoni scored 224 runs in the first innings of the match. India won the match by 8 wickets at Chepauk Stadium.
  • He bagged six wickets on the second Test played between March 02 and March 06, 2013, where India won by an innings and 135 runs.
  • He dismissed four batters during the third match of the tour played between March 14 and 18 where India won by six wickets.
• Ashwin was part of the squad that played in the Test series of India’s South Africa tour in 2013. He concluded the series with no wickets as he did not play in the second test.
• During the New Zealand tour in 2014, he managed to bag only one wicket in the five-match ODI series where India lost the series 4-0.
• Ashwin was part of the squad that played in India’s tour of England in 2014. He played only in the final two tests where he went wicketless in the fourth test but had three dismissals on the fifth test where India suffered in both of the tests.
• Aswhin was part of the squad that toured Australia in 2014, with the player not playing in the first test. He dismissed 12 batters with an average of 48.66 in the remaining three matches.
• Ashwin bagged 48 wickets and scored 336 runs in the year 2015-16 season. He was named the ICC Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year award for 2016.
• Ashwin was part of the squad that played in India’s tour of West Indies in 2016, where he scored 235 runs with two centuries and bagged 17 wickets in four Tests.
• During New Zealand’s tour of India in 2016, Ashwin bagged 27 wickets in three Tests.
• He bagged 28 wickets and 306 runs in the five-match test series on the England tour of India in 2016.
• Ashwin was exclusively added to the test squad of India’s West Indies tour in 2017.
• In 2017, He was named in the test team of the year for the third consecutive year.
• In the year 2018, India played most of the test matches away from home against South Africa and England.
• During England’s tour of India 2021, Ashwin bagged 32 wickets and scored 189 runs in four tests. He bagged his 400th test wicket during the series.
• He was the leading wicket-taker with four wickets in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final loss to New Zealand in 2022.
• He was part of the Test squad which played in Australia’s tour of India 2023 bagged 25 wickets in four matches and helped the side for the series win. But he didn’t play in the finals of the ICC WTC finals in 2023 where Australia won the match.
• He was part of the squad that played two tests in India’s West Indies tour in 2023.
  • During the first match of the series played between July 12 and 17, he bagged 5 and seven wickets in the first and second innings of the match. Eventually, India won the match by an innings and 32 runs.
  • In the second test match played on July 20, Ashwin scored 56 runs in the first innings and bagged a total of three wickets. The match ended in a draw.
• He was included in the test squad which played in India’s tour of South Africa 2023/24 where Ashwin played in the first test only. He scored only 8 runs and bagged the wicket on Gerald Coetzee where South Africa won the match by an innings and 32 runs.
• He was named in the test squad which is set to play in England’s tour of India in 2024.
  • Ashwin bagged five wickets in the first test match of the series played between January 25 and 28, but India lost the match on a 28-run difference.
  • He went wicketless during the first innings but bagged three wickets in the second Innings of the second test played on February 02. He scored 20 and 29 runs on the match where India won the match by 106 runs.
  • He bagged his 500th test wicket on the third test played starting February 15 at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

ODI Career

• His excellent economy rate and his performance in this limited-over game brought him to the audience’s notice. Ashwin made his debut in ODI cricket in 2010 against Sri Lanka.
• With the emergence of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, he was dropped from the ODI side. He though is the first choice spinner for India in Tests.
• In 2010, Ashwin was included in the three-match home ODI series against Australia where he played only one match and dismissed one wicket only.
• In late 2010, Ashwin played in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand on a home tour where he emerged as the leading wicket-taker with 11 wickets at an average of 21.90.
• He was named in the ODI squad for India’s South India tour in 2010 but did not play in any of the five ODIs of the tour.
• During the year 2011, Ashwin played in two ODIs of India’s tour of West Indies, and England’s tour. He emerged as the second wicket-taker of the England series.
• He was part of the West Indies tour of India in 2011 which included five ODIs. He bagged four wickets in four matches he played in the tour.
• He had a quite decent run in the five-match ODI series where he dismissed five wickets at 39.40 during India’s tour of Sri Lanka in July 2012.
• He concluded the three-match ODI series in Pakistan’s tour of India 2012 with three wickets.
• During the England tour of India in 2012-13, he bagged 7 wickets with an average of 35.71 on the tour, where India won the series 3-2.
• He had a difficult time during India’s tour of South Africa in 2013 where he had only one wicket in three ODI matches.
• He was named as the leading wicket-taker in Australia’s tour of India in 2014 where India won the series 3-2.
• He struggled during the five-match ODI series on India’s tour of New Zealand tour. During the third ODI match, he made his maiden ODI fifty as he scored 65 runs on 46 deliveries.
• India secured a 3-1 win in the ODI series on India’s England tour in 2014 where Ashwin picked seven wickets from four matches with an average of 24.85.
• Ashwin picked six wickets in the five-match ODI series in November 2014 on Sri Lanka’s India tour.
• Ashwin played in the ODI series against England on home tour in 2017 where he picked up three wickets on the series.
• He was included in the squad that played in India’s West Indies tour in 2017. He bagged four wickets in the second and third matches of the season.
• He was added to the ODI squad which played in India’s South Africa tour in 2022 where he bagged a single wicket in two matches he played.
• He was part of the squad which played in Australia’s India tour in 2023 where India won the series 2-1.
  • During the first match played on September 22, 2023, where he bagged a wicket. Australia scored 276 runs in the match while India chased the target on the 49th over with 5 wickets in hand.
  • During the second match played on September 24, he bagged three wickets in seven overs he bowled where India won the match by 99 runs.

T20I Career

Ashwin made his T20I debut during the first T20I match in India’s tour of Zimbabwe in 2010.

• • He picked up his first T20I wickets in his debut match played on June 12, 2010, where India won the match by 6 wickets.
  • He did not get a chance to bat in the second T20I match, but bagged wickets for 48 runs out of the four overs he played.
• He did play in T20I matches against South Africa, and West Indies and two matches against England in the year 2011.
• He was included in the squad which played in only one T20I match in India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2012 where he dismissed a batter and did not get a chance to bat. India won the match by 39 runs.
• He was named in the T20 squad which played in India’s West Indies tour 2022. He bagged three wickets in the three matches he played and scored 13* and 10 runs in the first and second matches of the tour.
• He went wicketless during the South Africa tour of India in 2022.

World Cup Career

ODI World Cups 

Ashwin has made 10 appearances in World Cup history for India with his last appearance comes from the World Cup 2015. He was one of the members of the current Indian side who were also part of the World Cup Winning team in the year 2011.

• • He bagged 17 wickets in the tournament with an average of 24.88 and an economy of 4.36.
• He was included in India’s squad which played in the World Cup 2023. He played in the India’s first match of the World Cup Campaign where he bagged 3 wickets played on October 08, 2023.

T20 World Cups 

He was part of the Indian squads which played in the years 2012,2014, 2016, 2021, 2022.

• His last appearance came at the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup where India lost the tournament in the semifinals. He played 6 matches in the tournament and bagged six wickets. He amassed only 21 runs in four matches he batted.

R Ashwin Records

Test Record

• He is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the longest format for India.
• The allrounder has also slammed 5 centuries and 11 half-centuries in 78 Test matches making him the most valuable player in the India setup.
• He has a record 30 five-wicket and seven 10-wicket hauls.
• Fastest to reach 250 test wickets.
• Ashwin becomes the second Indian to bag 500 test wickets.

ODI Records

• R Ashwin has picked 150 wickets in 111 matches but he is no longer part of the limited-overs setup for India.
• He last played in the 50-over format in June 2017.

T20 Records

• The 34-year-old has played 46 T20Is for India.
• First Indian to take 50 T20I wickets.
• Highest wicket-taker in Twenty20 International cricket for India with 52 wickets.

IPL Records

• R Ashwin features in the top 10 list of wicket-takers in IPL.
• He has taken 138 wickets in 154 matches.

Unique Records

• Ashwin holds the records for being the fastest Indian to 50, 100, and 150 Test wickets.
• Joint record (with Ian Botham and Jack Gregory) of fastest to take 50 wickets and score 500 runs (11th Tests).
• In 2016, he became the 2nd fastest bowler to take 200 Test wickets (37th match), after Australian spin bowler Clarrie Grimmett who achieved it in his 36th match.
• In 2017, he became the fastest bowler to take 300 Test wickets (54th match), breaking Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee’s record (56th match).

• The 5th Indian bowler to take 300 wickets in Test cricket, after Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434), Harbhajan Singh (417), and Zaheer Khan (311).

• The 3rd Indian to receive the ICC Cricketer of the Year award, after Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
• Most Man-of-the-Series Award (6)
• Ashwin is the third Indian cricketer to be awarded the Man of the Match (MoM) on debut.
• The most number of wickets by a bowler in a home season (79).
• First Indian cricketer to score a century and take five wickets in the same Test match on two separate instances.
• Ashwin registered the second-best bowling on debut by an Indian bowler with 9/128.

Lesser known facts about Ravichandran Ashwin

• His actual name is only ‘Ashwin’ and ‘Ravichandran’ is his father’s name.
• His father Ravichandran played cricket at club level as a fast bowler
• The subject that he used to hate the most was Maths.
• His wife, Prithi studied with him during high schooling.

• He started playing cricket as an opening batsman, but at the age of 14, he injured his pelvic area that caused a ligament tear in the hip bones, after which he dropped the idea of becoming a batsman.
• When Ashwin was a Class 9 student, he had to stay away from cricket for 1 year due to his neurological infection, he could not even go to school for 2 months.
• Ravichandran, who worked for Southern Railways, played club cricket for Egmore Excelsiors for over a decade.
• Initially, he started as a fast bowler, but his mother felt that it’s not suiting him, so she suggested him to do spin bowling, which proved to be the right call.
• His aspirations to become a genuine spinner skyrocketed when he went to the National Cricket Academy, captained his team, and took a 7-wicket haul.
• He was the one making the T20I cricket debut with Naman Ojha and Virat Kohli and ODI cricket debut with Pankaj Singh and Ojha, and his Test cricket debut with Indian fast bowler Umesh Yadav.
• He took atleast one wicket in his debut match across all formats (T20I, ODI, Test).
• He was bestowed with the Arjuna Award by the Government of India Arjuna award — India’s highest sporting honor – in 2014.

• He received both the title of the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year and ICC Cricketer of the Year for 2016.
• On 25 March 2019, playing for Kings XI Punjab against Rajasthan Royals, Ashwin dismissed Jos Buttler in a run out popularly called ‘Mankading’. Though this is a legally permissible dismissal, it is considered against the spirit of the game, and for the same, Ashwin received heavy criticism from every corner.

• Cricket pundits often consider him as the perfect blend of former Indian spin bowler Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and Erapalli Prasanna.
• He is the third Indian player to win Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after legendary Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
• His all-time favourite skipper is Sourav Ganguly.
• He is the only bowler in cricket history to dismiss Kumar Sangakkara in 4 successive games.
• He is an avid dog lover and whenever he is in Chennai, he loves to take his dogs for a walk in the night.
• He is a movie freak and loves watching every new release at Chennai’s Sathyam Cinema.
• His favorite superhero is ‘Batman.’

Controversies of Ravichandran Ashwin

• In September 2016, during a Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) match, he lost his temperament while batting for Dindigul Dragons against Chepauk Super Gillies. When the batsman on the other end, Jagadeesan Narayan got dismissed, Ashwin and Narayan had a verbal spat and physical tussle with the bowler Kishore who pushed Narayan and passed provocating comments.

• In December 2016, he was trolled on social media as he didn’t mention the name of former captain MS Dhoni in his thank you speech after winning the ICC Best Test Cricketer Award.
• On 19 February 2018, Ashwin promoted a shoe brand on Twitter, to which former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs tweeted, “Hopefully you will be able to run faster now Ashwin.” Ashwin counted his tweet by saying, “Surely not as fast as you did mate, unfortunately, I was not as blessed as you were. But I was blessed with a wonderfully ethical mind not to fix games that put food on my plate.” Soon after, Ashwin deleted the tweets respecting his “family of fans.”

Awards and Accolades

• Arjuna Award: 2014
• ICC – Test Team of the Year: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
• BCCI’s Dilip Sardesai Award for India’s best cricketer: 2010–11, 2015–16
• BCCI’s Polly Umrigar Award for international cricketer of the year: 2012–13
• ICC Test Player of the Year: 2016
• ICC Cricketer of the Year: 2016
• CEAT International Cricketer of the Year: 2016–17

Ravichandran Ashwin Car collection

The Car collection of Ravichandran Ashwin is quite Small. Ravichandran Ashwin owns a few of the best luxury cars in the world. The Car brands owned by Ravichandran Ashwin include Audi, Rolls-Royce, etc.

Ravichandran Ashwin Social Media Profiles

R Ashwin Batting Stats

R Ashwin Bowling Stats