R Ashwin retires from international cricket: 5 records of the ace spinner that may never be broken

Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, December 18, after the conclusion of the third Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which ended in a draw.

After the match, Ashwin joined Rohit Sharma at the post-match press conference, where he shared the news. Ashwin said:

“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level. I do feel there's a bit of punch left in there, but I would like to expose and probably showcase that in club-level cricket. But this will be the last day and I got a lot of fun. I must say, I created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates, even though I lost some of them over the last few years. We are the last bunch OGs, if we can say that, left out in the dressing room.”

"And I'd be marking this as my date of having played at this level. Obviously, there are a lot of people to thank, but I would be failing my duties if I did not thank BCCI and my teammates. All of the coaches who have been part of the journey. Most importantly, Rohit, Virat, Ajinkya, Pujara - who took those splendid catches around the back to give me the number of wickets I have managed to get over the years,” Ashwin added.

The Tamil Nadu cricketer has set numerous records for India, featuring in 287 games across formats and taking 765 wickets, the second-highest in Indian cricket history, behind only Anil Kumble (953). As Ashwin bids farewell, let’s take a look at some of the remarkable records set by the off-spinner that may never be broken.

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#1 Most fifer for India in Test cricket

Ravichandran Ashwin played 106 Tests for India, taking 537 wickets, including a record 37 five-wicket hauls, the most by an Indian player and the second-highest in history, behind Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan (67).

Ashwin registered his first fifer in his debut game in 2011 against the West Indies, taking six wickets in the second innings. His most recent fifer came earlier this year against Bangladesh.

After Ashwin, Anil Kumble ranks second among Indians with 35 five-wicket hauls, while Harbhajan Singh has registered 25.

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#2 Most Player of the Series award

Ravichandran Ashwin is tied with Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan for the most Player of the Series awards in Test cricket, with both players having won 11. Ashwin secured his 11 awards across 44 series, while Muralitharan achieved his in 61.

Among Indians, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar are tied for second, each having won five Player of the Series awards in their Test careers.

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#3 Only Indian player with 4,000 runs and 750 wickets in international cricket

Ravichandran Ashwin is the only Indian player to have scored over 4,000 international runs while also taking more than 750 wickets. He has claimed 765 wickets for India across 287 matches (537 in Tests, 156 in ODIs, and 72 in T20Is).

The 38-year-old has also scored 3,503 runs in Tests, including 14 fifties and six centuries. Additionally, Ashwin has accumulated 707 runs in ODIs from 116 games and 184 runs in 65 T20Is, bringing his overall tally to 4,394 runs across formats.

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#4 Fastest Indian to 50,100,150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500 Test wickets

The veteran Indian off-spinner also holds the records for being the fastest to reach milestones of 50 (9 games), 100 (18 games), 150 (29 games), 200 (37 games), 250 (45 games), 300 (54 games), 350 (66 games), 400 (77 games), 450 (89 games), and 500 (98 games) Test wickets for India.

Furthermore, he is the fastest in world cricket to 250, 300, and 350 Test wickets, and the second-fastest to reach 400, 450, and 500 wickets.

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#5 Most wickets by an Indian bowler in home Tests

Ravichandran Ashwin is also the Indian bowler with the most Test wickets in home matches. The 38-year-old took 383 wickets in 65 games, including 29 five-wicket hauls and six 10-wicket hauls. Anil Kumble ranks second among Indians, with 350 wickets in 63 home Tests, while Harbhajan Singh is third, having claimed 265 wickets in 55 home games.