Berliner Boersenzeitung - Ravichandran Ashwin - 'accidental spinner' who became India great

EUR -
AED 3.834856
AFN 72.981026
ALL 98.491871
AMD 410.574545
ANG 1.873597
AOA 958.441534
ARS 1062.068709
AUD 1.668164
AWG 1.879297
AZN 1.774656
BAM 1.956632
BBD 2.099092
BDT 124.232814
BGN 1.958008
BHD 0.392267
BIF 3073.606664
BMD 1.044054
BND 1.4119
BOB 7.184054
BRL 6.348575
BSD 1.039642
BTN 88.383574
BWP 14.369109
BYN 3.402246
BYR 20463.455505
BZD 2.089788
CAD 1.4984
CDF 2996.434335
CHF 0.932371
CLF 0.037427
CLP 1032.725839
CNY 7.619298
CNH 7.624449
COP 4583.396412
CRC 524.522987
CUC 1.044054
CUP 27.667427
CVE 110.312953
CZK 25.108921
DJF 185.128703
DKK 7.458302
DOP 63.306913
DZD 140.708819
EGP 53.090769
ERN 15.660808
ETB 129.594994
FJD 2.419125
FKP 0.826872
GBP 0.82945
GEL 2.934095
GGP 0.826872
GHS 15.282497
GIP 0.826872
GMD 75.171679
GNF 8981.818386
GTQ 8.010405
GYD 217.502466
HKD 8.11186
HNL 26.390219
HRK 7.4889
HTG 136.00782
HUF 413.977438
IDR 16852.07323
ILS 3.801792
IMP 0.826872
INR 88.729074
IQD 1361.878967
IRR 43941.619435
ISK 145.113457
JEP 0.826872
JMD 162.65915
JOD 0.740338
JPY 163.428363
KES 134.213278
KGS 90.832546
KHR 4177.776073
KMF 486.659583
KPW 939.647883
KRW 1514.838471
KWD 0.321516
KYD 0.866368
KZT 545.98211
LAK 22754.673557
LBP 93096.577585
LKR 305.22976
LRD 188.690217
LSL 19.139837
LTL 3.08282
LVL 0.631537
LYD 5.108172
MAD 10.463148
MDL 19.149141
MGA 4905.085269
MKD 61.561171
MMK 3391.046186
MNT 3547.694854
MOP 8.322738
MRU 41.345577
MUR 49.280896
MVR 16.080872
MWK 1802.251891
MXN 20.95141
MYR 4.682524
MZN 66.718935
NAD 19.139837
NGN 1614.576632
NIO 38.256264
NOK 11.798806
NPR 141.414119
NZD 1.845107
OMR 0.401651
PAB 1.039642
PEN 3.871246
PGK 4.215792
PHP 61.207138
PKR 289.37392
PLN 4.260093
PYG 8106.446244
QAR 3.789911
RON 4.977322
RSD 117.017747
RUB 107.411783
RWF 1449.216096
SAR 3.922094
SBD 8.752883
SCR 14.548185
SDG 628.007273
SEK 11.498155
SGD 1.414228
SHP 0.826872
SLE 23.801848
SLL 21893.290418
SOS 594.152588
SRD 36.678625
STD 21609.806806
SVC 9.096867
SYP 2623.21688
SZL 19.135135
THB 35.777638
TJS 11.373235
TMT 3.664629
TND 3.312708
TOP 2.445276
TRY 36.741769
TTD 7.056
TWD 34.125736
TZS 2521.389855
UAH 43.600836
UGX 3813.621262
USD 1.044054
UYU 46.369713
UZS 13403.698233
VES 53.742914
VND 26555.509733
VUV 123.952164
WST 2.884499
XAF 656.235982
XAG 0.035143
XAU 0.000398
XCD 2.821607
XDR 0.793037
XOF 656.235982
XPF 119.331742
YER 261.404956
ZAR 19.098632
ZMK 9397.736499
ZMW 28.771231
ZWL 336.184914
  • CMSD

    0.0000

    23.56

    0%

  • SCS

    -0.5800

    11.74

    -4.94%

  • BCC

    -0.2600

    122.75

    -0.21%

  • NGG

    0.8200

    58.5

    +1.4%

  • RBGPF

    59.9600

    59.96

    +100%

  • GSK

    0.1700

    33.6

    +0.51%

  • RIO

    -0.0900

    58.64

    -0.15%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    7.27

    -0.14%

  • BTI

    0.1131

    36.24

    +0.31%

  • CMSC

    0.0200

    23.86

    +0.08%

  • RELX

    -0.3100

    45.47

    -0.68%

  • AZN

    0.9100

    65.35

    +1.39%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    8.39

    +0.12%

  • BCE

    0.0500

    23.16

    +0.22%

  • BP

    0.1900

    28.6

    +0.66%

  • JRI

    0.1100

    12.06

    +0.91%

Ravichandran Ashwin - 'accidental spinner' who became India great
Ravichandran Ashwin - 'accidental spinner' who became India great / Photo: Sajjad HUSSAIN - AFP

Ravichandran Ashwin - 'accidental spinner' who became India great

Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will go down as one of India's greatest players after retiring from international cricket on Wednesday aged 38.

Text size:

India's go-to bowler was central to their Test dominance in the last decade with his ability to outfox top batsmen.

Ashwin finished with 537 wickets in 106 Tests since his debut in 2011 against the West Indies in New Delhi.

He was also more than useful with the bat.

Described as an "all-time great" by his Test captain Rohit Sharma, Ashwin earlier this year became only the ninth bowler to reach 500 Test wickets and only the second from India after Anil Kumble (619).

He also played 116 one-day and 65 Twenty20 internationals.

Ashwin walked into the sunset after the drawn third Test against Australia in Brisbane.

He was visibly emotional as he was hugged by Virat Kohli in the dressing room.

"There's a bit left in me as a cricketer but I would like to exploit it at the domestic and club-level cricket," Ashwin told reporters.

"I have had a lot of fun, a lot of memories."

He was not selected for Brisbane, with his final Test in Adelaide last week, where he took 1-53 and India were well beaten by 10 wickets.

- 'Legend' -

India head coach Gautam Gambhir paid tribute to a player he said would be greatly missed.

"The privilege of seeing you grow from a young bowler to a legend of modern cricket is something that I wouldn't trade for the world," Gambhir wrote on social media.

Team-mate Kohli said he had "enjoyed every bit of the journey" with the bowler.

"Your skill and match-winning contributions to Indian cricket are second to none and you will always be remembered as a legend of Indian cricket," Kohli said.

Ashwin, who is from the southern city of Chennai, started out as an IT engineer after graduating from university and is known for his precision.

The innovative Ashwin always worked on his craft, even after his skill and guile led to a glittering international career.

He reached the landmark of 500 wickets in the third Test against England in February at Rajkot when he dismissed Zak Crawley.

A master craftsman, Ashwin employed the full width of the crease as he delivered his off-spin from multiple angles with varying pace.

He also had a deceptive "arm ball" that goes straight on, and worked to develop a "carrom ball" that goes the other way, delivered using his knuckles.

But his sometimes blunt, no-nonsense attitude has led to the occasional controversy, such as when inflicting "Mankad" runouts at the non-striker's end.

Ashwin was part of India's 2011 50-over World Cup title win at home and then the 2013 Champions Trophy, but it was three years later that he matured as a top-level bowler.

He took 48 wickets in eight Tests and had 27 victims in 19 Twenty20 matches in the 2015-16 season to be named the ICC cricketer of the year.

Ashwin ended with 37 five-wicket Test hauls to his name, with a best of 7-59.

- 'World class' -

Ashwin enjoyed a healthy rivalry with his Australia counterpart Nathan Lyon, who has 533 Test wickets in 132 matches.

"He's a world-class bowler and somebody I have watched closely from the start of his career," Lyon said.

Ashwin started off as a batsman who bowled medium-pace before switching to off-spin, and has called himself an "accidental spinner".

"I wanted to be a batter all along. Life gave me a chance," he once said.

Ashwin has recounted how he first got the chance to shine as a spinner while playing for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

All-time top wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan had declined to use the new ball so it was given to him instead -- and the rest was history.

The all-rounder also has 3,503 Test runs -- including six centuries -- from playing in the middle- and lower-order, with a career-high of 124.

He formed a potent spin partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, becoming the most successful pair for India in Tests.

(H.Schneide--BBZ)