Ravichandran Ashwin: A cricket player who plays chess on-field

Ravichandran Ashwin (Pic: AFP)

In a country where cricket is considered not just as a sport but an emotion to which many people connect, there are many great batsmen right from Sunil Gavaskar to Virat Kohli, who are celebrated every now and then. But in a country of batsmen, there stood a bowler named Ravichandran Ashwin.

Ravichandran Ashwin who is known for being vocal about his thoughts has yet not received the right amount of appreciation. A few are aware of the fact that he started his cricket career as an opening batsman who represented Tamil Nadu in the domestic leagues. However, due to a lack of success, the veteran was pushed down the order.

But who knew that he would achieve a lot more success with the ball? To date, Ravichandran Ashwin is the highest-ranked bowler in the ICC Test rankings. Apart from this, he has several records to his name. He is the fastest bowler to complete 250 and 300 wickets in the longest format of the game.

Ravichandran Ashwin is the second-leading wicket-taker for India across all formats. Donning the Indian jersey in 281 international matches, the spinner has claimed 744 wickets and is just below legendary spinner Anil Kumble (953).

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In the Indian Premier League, from being under the shadows of MS Dhoni to leading the spin attack of Team India, Ravichandran Ashwin has established himself as one of the finest bowlers in the country's cricketing history.

Ashwin was present at the non-striker's end during the iconic show by Virat Kohli at the MCG against arch-rivals Pakistan. Although Kohli deserves all the credit for his heroics, Ashwin scored that important winning run to register one of the finest victories by India over Pakistan.

Another memorable incident which involved Ravichandran Ashwin's presence was in the IPL 2019. Represented Punjab Kings, Ashwin mankaded Rajasthan Royals premier batsman Jos Buttler. The RR batsman returned to the pavilion with the whole cricket fraternity appreciating Ashwin for his presence of mind.

Ravichandran Ashwin has established himself as one of the smart minds in cricket. One of the most famous incidents was when he dismissed Australian star Steve Smith in a Test series. He bowled a ball which pointed to leg spin against Marnus Labuschagne and leg gully to Smith. On both the balls, the seam moved unsteadily before touching the pitch. Ashwin noticed Smith's weakness against spin prior to the match and applied the same during the match.

He also captained the Dindigul Dragons who won the 2024 edition of Tamil Nadu Premier League.

Ravichandran Ashwin has been named in the upcoming Bangladesh series. The all-rounder will look to deliver performances to cement his place in the squad for the iconic "Border-Gavaskar Trophy" which will kick start later in the year.