A cricket fan once remarked that Ravichandran Ashwin has as many blades in his game as a Swiss army knife has in its hilt. That is an apt way to describe the cricketer who is being hailed nowadays as India’s saviour when the times are difficult. A spin bowling all rounder is a rarity in modern day cricket and so his presence is an asset to team India.
Ashwin’s stupendous success is unparalleled. He has drawn comparisons with many of the outstanding players in cricket history. In the past too, there were players like India’s Ravi Shastri and Daniel Vettori, former New Zealand captain.
Like Ashwin, they were spin bowlers with batting skills. But Ashwin has surpassed their bowling records. Fans of Ravindra Jadeja may argue that he is also as good as Ashwin.
True Jadeja has also scored about the same number of runs in batting, but where wickets are concerned, Ashwin is far ahead. The same can be said when comparing Ashwin and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan. As a batsman Shakib has a better record than Ashwin but as a bowler, Ashwin is far superior.
A quick examination of the statistics reveals the extent to which Ashwin has dominated the show in Test cricket. In batting he has scored the maximum number of 50s that any Indian batter has scored at number 8 or lower. He was the fastest Indian bowler to reach 2000 Test runs and has now crossed 3000.
He has a wonderful batting average of 26.26 which is commendable for a batter in the lower order. In bowling, he was the fastest to reach 300, 400 and 450 Test wickets.
In 2016, he took 72 wickets in a single calendar year. When he reached 500 Test wickets, he did so in 89 matches which is the same as Muttiah Muralitharan – the highest wicket taker in Test cricket history. On 32 occasions, Ashwin has taken five wickets or more in an innings.
Seven times he has taken ten wickets in a match. Both these achievements are records for Indian bowlers. He now belongs to an elite group of cricketers who have taken more than 400 Test wickets and scored more than 3000 runs.
Former India captain Anil Kumble paid high compliments to Ashwin several years ago when he said that in Ashwin he saw the same qualities that he himself had. He saw the same commitment, drive and work ethics that Kumble possessed. According to Kumble, the more Ashwin plays in different conditions and against different batsmen, the more he will improve.
To top it all, Ashwin has a very keen cricketing brain that can outthink even the most experienced and clever opponents. In fact Ashwin has turned his craft of spin bowling into a cerebral exercise. Each spell that he bowls is a battle of brains between himself and the batter who is facing him.
Ashwin’s performances are mind boggling. From bamboozling Australia in 2013 to his incredible displays in the 2021 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he has hogged the limelight as India’s best player. In the latter contest, he not only bowled bowled India to victory but batted through injuries with the same determination and dedication as a soldier guarding the nation’s border.
But perhaps that’s the beauty of Ashwin’s entire career. It is difficult to pick one single moment of greatness. There are so many of such remarkable and significant instances.
His influence may cut across the boundaries of time and future generations of spin bowlers will undoubtedly study his approach and skills with great enthusiasm and try to emulate him..
