Congress MP Vijay Vasanth took to his official social media account and appealed to Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya a Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna to former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. He requested that he be awarded the Major Award. India’s prominent off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has announced his decision to retire from international cricket after Wednesday’s Brisbane Test ended in a draw. “I have written to His Excellency Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, requesting him to confer Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award on R. Ashwin for his extraordinary contribution to Indian cricket. His remarkable achievements on the field make him truly ‘deserving of this honour,”’ wrote Vijay Vasant in a post on X.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ashwin appeared at the post-match press conference along with India captain Rohit Sharma to announce his decision. Speculations about his retirement started mounting as he got emotional and was hugged by Virat Kohli.
Ashwin played 106 Tests, took an astonishing 537 wickets, including 37 five-wicket hauls, and scored 3,503 runs. His contribution to Indian cricket goes far beyond these impressive statistics.
He is the seventh highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket and the second highest in India after Anil Kumble (619). He also has the second-highest five-wicket haul in Tests after Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan (67).
Ashwin was instrumental in India’s dominance in Test cricket, especially during the country’s rise to the top from 2014 to 2019.
In limited overs cricket, Ashwin played 181 matches and took 228 wickets. He played in 116 ODIs, taking 156 wickets and scoring 707 runs with best figures of 4/25. He took 72 wickets in 65 T20Is with a best performance of 4/8 and scored 184 runs.
With 765 international wickets across formats, Ashwin is India’s second-highest wicket-taker after Kumble (953). He was also part of India’s 2011 World Cup winning team and 2013 Champions Trophy team.
Ashwin’s retirement marked the end of a great era and left behind a legacy that will inspire future generations.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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