Troubling batters left, right and centre – The R Ashwin story in numbers
Troubling batters left, right and centre – The R Ashwin story in numbers
Few players have analysed cricket as deeply as R. Ashwin. Even fewer have dared to execute their ideas on the field with the same audacity.
For over a decade, Ashwin strode the globe as one of the sport’s premier spin exponents, playing a pivotal role in establishing India’s dominance in Test cricket, particularly on home soil.
With the 38-year-old announcing his retirement from international cricket, here are some standout numbers from his illustrious career:
No bowler troubled left-handed batters quite like Ashwin. The off-spinner had a remarkable edge against southpaws, claiming more left-handed wickets than anyone else in international cricket.
Ashwin’s Test record came tantalisingly close to a perfectly symmetrical left-right dismissal count – 269 right-handers and 268 left-handers. However, the balance was tipped when he dismissed Mitchell Marsh for his final Test wicket during the pink-ball match in Adelaide.
Three of his most frequent victims were left-handers. England’s Test captain Ben Stokes tops the list, having been dismissed 17 times by Ashwin across formats. Retired Australian opener David Warner and Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Thirimanne follow, with 14 dismissals each.
In his autobiography, I Have the Streets: A Kutti Cricket Story, Ashwin revealed that the carrom ball – a deceptive delivery breaking away from right-handers – was a variation he first encountered in Chennai’s tennis-ball cricket circuit.
Ashwin not only adopted the carrom ball but perfected it in Test cricket. Of the 682 carrom-ball deliveries bowled in Tests since his debut, Ashwin alone accounted for 578. He also took 34 of the 39 dismissals credited to the carrom ball in this period.
Primarily reserved for right-handers, Ashwin delivered 337 of his carrom balls to them, claiming 24 wickets.
Throughout their careers, Ashwin and Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon were frequently compared, their performances scrutinised in parallel.
While Lyon overtook Ashwin’s Test wicket tally with a match-winning performance in the Boxing Day Test, the statistics reveal that Ashwin outshone his counterpart in nearly every head-to-head comparison. Ashwin even outperformed Lyon in Australia, despite often playing second fiddle to Ravindra Jadeja in away Tests.
During his retirement announcement press conference, Ashwin made it a point to acknowledge the contributions of his teammates, particularly his fielders, to his impressive Test wicket haul.
“I would like to thank Rohit [Sharma], Virat [Kohli], Ajinkya [Rahane], and [Cheteshwar] Pujara, who have taken those splendid catches around the bat to give me the number of wickets I’ve managed over the years,” Ashwin remarked in Brisbane.
Rahane was his most frequent collaborator, taking 34 catches off Ashwin’s bowling, often while stationed at first slip. Kohli’s impact extended beyond his 29 catches, as his fielding in the midwicket region helped build pressure during Ashwin’s spells.
Among wicketkeepers, Wriddhiman Saha played a crucial role, contributing to 21 dismissals – 18 catches and three stumpings – off Ashwin’s bowling.
