His numbers with the ball are the stuff of legend, but Ashwin was more than handy with the bat too
Sampath Bandarupalli18-Dec-2024Ashwin finishes his career with 537 wickets in 106 Test matches, placing him seventh on the all-time wicket-takers list, behind Anil Kumble’s tally of 619 for India. His strike rate of 50.73 is the highest among the nine bowlers with over 500 wickets, while his bowling average of 24 ranks third.He achieved five or more wickets in a Test innings on 37 occasions, a number bettered only by Muthiah Muralidaran, who did it 67 times, while Shane Warne also managed it on 37 ocassions. He has also claimed ten or more wickets in a Test match eight times, the highest among Indian bowlers, alongside Kumble.ESPNcricinfo LtdDominance at Home
Ashwin’s remarkable success at home has contributed significantly to India’s impressive record in home Tests over the past decade. He has played every home Test since his debut in 2011, spanning 65 matches.Of those 65 home Tests, India won 47; only Sachin Tendulkar has featured in more Test wins – 52. Only Alastair Cook (89) played more home Tests than Ashwin without missing any, while the previous highest among allrounders was Tony Greig (31) and among bowlers was Dilip Doshi (21).ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin took 383 wickets in those 65 home Tests, the most by any Indian bowler and the fourth-highest overall. His 29 five-wicket hauls at home are second only to Muralidaran’s 45. Ashwin’s tally of 303 wickets in Test victories at home is just two shy of Muralidaran’s 305.Among the 23 bowlers with 200-plus Test wickets at home, Ashwin’s average of 21.57 is the sixth-highest, while his strike rate of 46 is the fourth-best. It is also the best strike rate among the eight spin bowlers with 200-plus wickets at home.The ratio between Ashwin’s home average and that of other bowlers (32.47) in those matches is 1.51, the fifth highest among the bowlers with 200-plus wickets at home.ESPNcricinfo LtdContributions with the Bat
Ashwin’s success in Tests wasn’t limited to his bowling; he also made valuable contributions with the bat. He scored six centuries, four of which came while batting at No. 8 or lower, ranking just behind Daniel Vettori’s five.In four of the six matches where he scored a century, he also took a five-wicket haul – only Ian Botham (5) has achieved this double more frequently than Ashwin.Among the eight players with 500-plus wickets before Ashwin, only Stuart Broad and Kumble scored a hundred in Tests. Ashwin’s total of 3503 runs is second only to Broad’s 3662 runs among bowlers with 500-plus wickets.ESPNcricinfo LtdIndia’s very own match-winner
India won 61 of the 106 Test matches in which Ashwin played, with only Tendulkar (72) and Virat Kohli (62) featuring in more Test victories for India. Ashwin’s presence in the playing XI contributed to a win percentage of 57.55%, which is the sixth-highest among players who have played over 100 Tests.The only players with better win percentages are Australians: Matthew Hayden (68.93), Glenn McGrath (67.74), Justin Langer (66.67), Ricky Ponting (64.29), and Shane Warne (63.45), who all played during a dominant period for Australian cricket from 1993 to 2008.
Of Ashwin’s 537 Test wickets, 374 came in victories, which is the fifth-highest for any player. He is the only Indian bowler to claim over 300 wickets in wins. His 31 five-wicket hauls in wins are second only to Muralidaran’s 41.A remarkable 69.65% of Ashwin’s career wickets came in victories, ranking fourth among players with over 300 career wickets. Only Glenn McGrath (73.53), Brett Lee (72.58), and Shane Warne (72.03) have higher percentages.His significant batting contributions also helped secure victories, with five out of his six Test centuries leading to wins, while the other resulted in a draw. While 134 players have achieved five or more centuries in Test wins, Ashwin’s tally of 374 wickets is more than double the next best, Jacques Kallis (182).ESPNcricinfo LtdOther than Ashwin, only Botham (8 100s and 15 five-fors) has recorded five or more centuries and five or more five-wicket hauls in Test wins. These impressive statistics contributed to Ashwin winning the player-of-the-series award on 11 occasions, a record shared with Muralidaran.Ashwin took 25-plus wickets in six of the 11 series where he was named Player of the Series. He had 25 or more wickets in seven different Test series in total, which is a record.New-ball master and nightmare for lefties
Ashwin excelled at bowling with the new ball, often producing better results than some leading pace bowlers. He opened the bowling for India on 54 occasions, taking 180 wickets. Only Rangana Herath (104) has also taken over 100 wickets as a spinner when opening the bowling in Tests.
Ashwin’s average of 19.27 as an opening bowler ranks fifth among the 89 bowlers with 100-plus wickets, while his strike rate of 39.9 is only behind Herath’s 39.4. Ashwin succeeded with a relatively newer ball even when not opening the bowling. He has taken 133 wickets during the first 20 overs of an innings, trailing only James Anderson (213) and Broad (176) since the start of 2002.The batting average against Ashwin in that phase is 21.49, the third-best among the 42 players who have bowled over 400 overs, behind Glenn McGrath (20.52) and Vernon Philander (21.05).Ashwin’s performance against left-handed batters is well-documented; he has claimed 268 wickets against them, just one less than the 269 wickets taken from right-handed batters. Anderson is the only other bowler with over 200 left-handed batter wickets, having achieved 221.The batting average against Ashwin for left-handers is 19.85, the lowest among the 54 bowlers with over 50 left-handed batter wickets since the beginning of 2002.
Only behind Kumble
Ashwin has accumulated 765 wickets across all three formats for India, placing him second only to Kumble’s 953. His wicket tally is also the eleventh-highest by any bowler in international cricket. He is one of six players who scored over 4000 runs and got over 750 wickets in international matches.Ashwin is among 15 players with over 150 wickets for India in men’s ODIs. Additionally, he has 74 T20I wickets, making him the sixth-highest wicket-taker for India in men’s T20Is, where he ranks second among spinners, behind Yuzvendra Chahal’s 98 wickets.
