It started with a Round of 16 format in which the former international picked Sachin Tendulkar over Vijay Hazare.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked his “greatest-ever Indian men’s cricketer”. Ashwin also snubbed Rohit Sharma in favour of Virat Kohli. Things got a bit tight for him when he had to pick one between MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, before he went ahead with the legendary captain. Sachin and Kapil Dev made it to the final, where Ashwin picked the ‘Master Blaster’.
In 65 T20Is, he took 72 wickets at an average of 23.22. His best figures were 4/8. He also scored 184 runs in 19 innings at an average of 26.28, with a best score of 31. With 765 scalps in 287 matches, Ashwin signed off as India’s second-highest wicket-taker across all formats, next to Kumble (953). He also won the 2011 Cricket World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy with India. In 2025, Ashwin also called time on his Indian Premier League career. Ashwin appeared in 221 IPL matches, making his debut in 2009. He cemented his status as one of the premier spinners in the T20 league with 187 wickets at an average of 30.22, an economy rate of 7.20, and a strike rate of 25.2. His best figures were 4/34, and he has one four-wicket haul.
His retirement from the marquee event came as a shock to the cricket fraternity.
Ashwin’s Performance in White-Ball Formats
Ravichandran Ashwin has made significant contributions in white-ball cricket, appearing in 181 matches and taking 228 wickets. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he has played 116 matches, claiming 156 wickets at an average of 33.20, with his best bowling figures being 4/25. With the bat, Ashwin has scored 707 runs at an average of 16.44, including one half-century, with his highest score being 65 over 63 innings.
