13 Insanely Jaw Dropping Moments That Show How Ravichandran Ashwin Changed the Way You Think About Cricket

What do Aristotle, Socrates, René Descartes, Swami Vivekananda, Bertrand Russell, Immanuel Kant, Confucius, Dostoevsky, Jean-Jacques Rosseau, and Ravichandran Ashwin have in common? 

These are the names of some of the greatest thinkers and philosophers of all time.

They didn’t just exist! They thought outside the box. Questioned the status quo. Changed the world.

And yes, you may have noticed that I subtly slipped in Ravichandran Ashwin’s name in there. Why, you may ask? 

Because Ravichandran Ashwin is more than your average cricketer. He is different. He is also a thinker and has transformed into one of the most influential cricketers of this generation.

As Ashwin gets closer to his monumental 500th wicket, we look at 11 Moments which illustrates how Ravichandran Ashwin has changed the way YOU think about cricket.

Key Takeaways

• Ashwin has taken 496 wickets at a bowling average of 23.79 and 51.4 strike rate. This includes 24 4-fers, 34 5-fers, and 8 10-wicket hauls in a match. 
• He has scored 3222 Test runs at 26.66 batting average. This includes 5 Test hundreds and 14 fifties. 
• His best figures are 7/59 (innings), 13/140 (match), and the highest score of 124. 
• Across formats, Ravichandran Ashwin has taken 724 international wickets and scored more than 4000 runs. 
• He is currently ranked at #2 for the Best All-Rounder in Men’s Test Cricket.

1. Desensitizing the Non-Strikers Run-Out

Let’s start with the elephant in the room—The non-strikers run-out or ‘Mankad’ as it was known in the pre-Ashwin era.

The most infamous moment was Ashwin vs Buttler. Watch the video below. 

And if you are looking for more, here is another incident from 2012. 

How did this change Cricket? 

Ashwin’s involvement about the non-strikers run-out opened a conversation in cricket that was long overdue.

What do the laws of cricket say? Why does ‘Spirit of Cricket’ get selectively applied in this case? What can the bowlers do to gain advantage just like the batters when backing up? 

There is still some way to go to desensitize the non-strikers run-out completely, but the bowlers are at least warning the batters more often (also a little bit of tension during the game is always fun).

2. Scoring Hundreds and Finishing Tense Chases in Test Cricket

Ashwin’s highest scores in Test cricket read: 124, 118, 113, 106, 103, 91*, 72, 70, 68, 67, 62, 61, 58, 58, 58, 56, 54, 50.

These are significant scores. Ashwin has scored plenty of hundreds against the West Indies (both home & away) and also has had key contributions in South Africa, Australia, England, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. That is serious pedigree.

After the 50 in tough conditions in Bangladesh, Dinesh Karthik described Ashwin as a ‘Scientist.’

 “I call him a scientist. He keeps discovering new things about himself. Be it bowling or batting. That is very nice for a cricketer. And that is why – the talent he has, he has maximized it over the years.”

My Favorite Ashwin Innings

My favorite Ashwin batting innings was the chase in the 2nd Test against Bangladesh in 2022. Chasing a target of 145, India had collapsed to 74/7 with Mehidy Hasan Miraz bamboozling the Indian batting.

Then came in the duo of Shreyas Iyer & Ravichandran Ashwin, constructing a counterattacking rearguard effort. By the end of it, Ashwin had scored the highest score in a fourth innings chase by a batter at #9 or below (42*) and stitched together the highest 8th wicket partnership in a successful fourth innings chase (71*) with Iyer.

No wonder he climbed to the #1 spot in Test all-rounder ranking and ranks as one of the Best 55 All-Rounders of All-Time in our list.

3. Opening the Bowling in T20 Cricket Way Back in 2010

It was the 2010 IPL that brought Ashwin into the national contention.

Playing under captain MS Dhoni, Ashwin began opening the bowling and keeping things tight in the Powerplays.

Remember in those days, spinners opening the bowling was still a rare instance. Even Sunil Narine would debut a year later.

Ashwin ended up with the best economy (6.10) in the competition (for anyone bowling more than 6 overs in the whole IPL), CSK won the IPL for the first time, which started what would become a famed legacy, the Dhoni-Ashwin partnership began, and Ashwin (and India) was on his way to a glorious golden eighteen months.

 4. Bowling that Final Ball with the Iconic Stop in the 2013 Champions Trophy Final

 The golden age of Indian cricket in recent memory between 2007-2013 from the 2007 T20 World Cup to the 2013 Champions Trophy Final. 

Oh yeah and there was the 2011 World Cup Final as well. 

In a rain-curtailed low scoring Champions Trophy Final thriller, MS Dhoni in the most MS Dhoni fashion, handed the ball to Ravichandran Ashwin. 

A six to win, four to tie. Wet conditions. Ashwin does a mini-pause, Tredwell starts to move, Ashwin spins the ball prodigiously. 

A magnificent spell of 4-0-15-2 to drive India home in a famous victory. 

5. Saving the Test at Sydney and Putting His Body on the Line

Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. We are never forgetting this, are we? 

Third Test Day 5. Series in the balance. Rahane departs early. 

Rishabh Pant & Cheteshwar Pujara are full flow. Pant departs on 97, Hazlewood bowls a jaffa to Pujara, Vihari suffers a hamstring injury. 

Surely Australia is cruising to victory here?  Think again.

Ashwin & Vihari come together to put together one of the greatest rearguard actions in recent Test history.

Ashwin had already been suffering back pains. Now the fast bowlers were bowling bouncers and targeted his rib cage. He suffered but stayed in the game. By the end of the day, he was pulling short balls for four. 

6. Inventing New Deliveries and Experimenting with Bowling Action

“Methods, madness, and courage” are characteristics that drive Ashwin. In his own words,

“There is a method to my madness. People ask, ‘What is he doing? Why is he trying so many different things. It is a matter of perception.” 

Method in the Madness

One of the things that sets him apart is the ability to take risks and always try out something new. 

He began his career as an off-spinner and when T20 cricket demanded, he opened the bowling. 

As leg spinners gained prominence in the 2010s and Ashwin was dropped from the limited overs side in 2017, he knew he had to do something different. 

He changed his action, experimented with delivery strides, added the carrom ball in his arsenal of weapons, and even developed the leg spinner. 

Watch this video where explains his different variations to Ian Ward and how he bowled Alastair Cook with a beauty! 

7. Batting at #3 and as a Finisher in the IPL

Ashwin has received a new lease of life with the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. It jumpstarted his comeback into the Indian T20I side, but more than that, it is the manner in which has gone about his cricket at RR which is heartening to see.

In the 2022 IPL, he has helped finish games in the lower order, batted at #3, and has even opened the batting when situations demand it.

Once again we see a common theme—Ashwin continues to try new things to become a better version of himself every day.

8. Pioneering the Retired Out

If you think you have seen everything, think again.

Ashwin went one step further than changing his batting number around. He became the first player in the IPL to tactically retire himself out. He was batting on 28* (23), but at the end of the 19th over, he left the ground.

This provided specialist finishers, Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer, the extra few balls to finish off the innings.

Ravichandran Ashwin has become such a cult figure for out-of-the-box tactics that after Rohit Sharma retired himself during the double Super Over against Afghanistan, coach Rahul Dravid said, “Rohit retiring himself out was Ashwin-level thinking.”

9. Presence of Mind in the T20 World Cup Match Against Pakistan

Now let’s come to one of the most iconic moments in recent memory.

An India vs Pakistan match to cherish. In the 19th over, Virat Kohli played the shot heard around the world against Haris Rauf.

India were getting closer, but Hardik Pandya departed. A few balls later, Virat Kohli was on the non-strikers end.

Then came time for the finisher from the Nidahas trophy final, Dinesh Karthik. His comeback story and career revamp as a finisher had led to this one moment. But he was stumped when Nawaz bowled a wide one near outside his leg.

The Iconic Moment

Next ball, Ravichandran Ashwin is in. Nawaz attempts a similar delivery.

What does Ashwin do? HE LEAVES IT. I repeat, he leaves it! The audacity, brilliant! Wide ball called. Scores leveled.

Next ball, he just lifts the ball straight past the bowler for a four.

Calm, collected, champion. That is Ravi Ashwin for you.

10. Kutti Stories YouTube Channel

The world is changing every day due to the internet and social media.

Cricket is also changing and players have to ensure they are planning for the future during their careers. We can already see the likes of Stuart Broad and Dinesh Karthik commentating before retirement. Others have put their hats into the coaching baskets.

Ashwin in his usual self, has done something slightly differently. He has started a YouTube channel! And not just any channel – the thoughtful interviews and Kutti stories have already garnered him 1.34 Million YouTube subscribers! 

What is neat about this experience is the insights we are gaining from Ashwin about what happens inside the dressing room. The media is known for speculation and controversies, but Ashwin brings a more human, deeper side to the Indian cricket team. I hope more cricketers follow this path in the future.

Here is an interview series with Harsha Bhogle on India’s stories during ODI World Cups.

11. Never Backing Down

One characteristic I admire about Ravichandran Ashwin is his honesty and the ability to speak his mind regardless of the pressure. 

We have already seen from a strategic point of view that he never backs down and keeps improving his skills. 

Off the field as well, he doubles down on this personality trait. We can see from the press conference below (where he questions why journalists have a pre-determined view about Indian pitches) or the memorable sledge against Tim Paine that Ashwin will always be up for a fight. 

12. From Engineering to Cricket

Not many athletes have dual careers at the beginning of their careers. Ashwin graduated with a BTech degree.

Listen to Ashwin in his Cricbuzz interview about his journey:

“My dad used to wake me up at 5:30…My mom wanted me to be an engineer. And I did it, because I actually struggled through it. I actually slogged my entire sweat out to actually do engineering and cricket. It used to be extremely hard. And extremely hard is an understatement.”

Along with family pressure, he also suffered a pelvis injury, which kept him out of cricket for a year in his peak high school years. 

As a society, we judge and admire individuals after success has been achieved, but it is often the stories behind the scenes that helps us understand the true character of the individual. 

13. Playing Cricket All Day Every Day

And finally, where there is cricket, there is Ashwin. 

In modern-day cricket, there is barely any space for free time. There is always a World Cup, international cricket, or T20 leagues happening around the world. 

But whenever Ashwin finds time, you can see him playing in the TNPL and other local matches. 

Here is a hilarious clip of Ashwin reviewing a ball TWICE in the small ball because he was not satisfied with the discussion.

Classic Ashwin!  

Final Thoughts – How Did Ravichandran Ashwin Change the Game of Cricket

Ravichandran Ashwin pioneered the retired out, made non-strikers run-out cool again, finished clutch matches in Test cricket, opened the batting in T20 cricket, put the body on the line to fight for his country, bowled off spin, leg spin, carrom ball, won World Cup matches on his own, started a YouTube channel, and even took two reviews on the same ball!

Ravichandran Ashwin is not just a cricketer. He transcends human nature. A true genius, thinker, philosopher, and scientist.

I’m glad to have watched Ravichandran Ashwin’s career unfold. 

If this is not a story we should all appreciate, I don’t know what is.

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