R Ashwin Padma Shri Award: The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) recently congratulated the great spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin. He was honored with the Padma Shri award, which is the fourth-highest civilian award in India. The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, gave him this award as part of the 2025 Padma awards list.
The announcement of the awards was made on January 25th. It’s a big deal because Ashwin is the only cricketer who received this honor this year. This really shows how much he has contributed to the sport of cricket.
The Central Board of Cricket in India, BCCI even posted on social media (X) to congratulate him, saying the Padma Shri recognized his amazing achievements and successful career playing for the Indian team.
R Ashwin Padma Shri Award: A Well-Deserved Acclamation for the Veteran
Ashwin’s career has been all about being consistent, brilliant, and helping India win matches, especially in Test cricket, which is the longest format of the game. He’s known for being very smart about cricket. He was a major force in Test matches, taking many wickets with his bowling and also scoring valuable runs with his bat.
He actually retired from international cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia in 2024. His very last Test match was the third one in Brisbane, which unfortunately ended in a draw because of rain. That match marked the end of a fantastic career that lasted over ten years.
Ashwin Retirement: A shocker for one and all!
Notably, Ashwin’s retirement surprised many. His final international appearance was a 2024 home series against New Zealand where he uncharacteristically underperformed in India. Earlier, his exclusion from the Perth Test in the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy had raised questions about his future. He played a limited role in the Adelaide Test, possibly influencing his decision to retire from international cricket.
Despite a somewhat subdued exit, Ashwin’s statistics highlight his greatness. With 537 Test wickets at an average of 24.00, he is India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker, behind only Anil Kumble. His exceptional ability to take wickets across all conditions, especially overseas, made him invaluable. Beyond bowling, Ashwin also scored 3503 Test runs, including six centuries and 14 half-centuries.
His sharp cricketing mind and all-round contributions were crucial to India’s Test success, including their undefeated home Test series run from 2012 to 2024, only broken by New Zealand. Ashwin’s consistent performance and leadership in the spin department were key to India’s dominance.
“A Homecoming”: R Ashwin Returns to CSK for IPL 2025
Interestingly, Ashwin’s IPL journey has come back to where it started. He returned to his first team, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction which happened in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. CSK bought him for a hefty price of Rs 9.75 crore, bringing back a player who was a vital part of their successful years from 2009 to 2015.
Throughout his IPL career, Ashwin also played for a few other teams, including the Rising Pune Supergiant (which is a team that doesn’t exist anymore), the Punjab Kings (where he even captained the team for a while), the Delhi Capitals, and the Rajasthan Royals.
