Ravichandran Ashwin’s Most Dismissed Batsmen in Test Cricket

The retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin marked the end of an illustrious career, concluding with a phenomenal 537 Test wickets.

There is a saying, “Everyone is born right-handed. Only the gifted overcome it.” Left-handed batsmen in Cricket are known for their creative shot-making skills—Brian Lara, Adam Gilchrist, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and Sanath Jayasuriya are a few names that come to mind easily.

You might wonder why I am speaking about left-handed batters when writing an article on Ravichandran Ashwin, a right-handed Indian off-spinner. It all comes down to Ashwin’s liking for lefties among his opponents and his unparalleled ability to crack the leftie’s aggression and creativeness on the field.

In fact, the first two names in his most dismissed batsman list are left-handers, showcasing his dominance. Let’s find out the batsmen who have been the victim of Ravichandran Ashwin, the most times in Test cricket.

Stats Insights

The above list of 12 batsmen include:

• 8 left-handed batsmen
• 5 Australian batsmen
• 5 English batsmen
• 5 Openers
• 3 No.3 batsmen

Ashwin retired as the first and only bowler in Test history to dismiss left-handed batsmen over 250 times, with a final tally of 268 left-handed scalps. When he became the first-ever bowler to dismiss left-handed batsmen 200 times in Test cricket, his total wickets count had not even crossed the 400-mark. This clearly illustrates his mastery and tactical genius against them.

Out of all his Test wickets, the mode of dismissal percentages were remarkably consistent: approximately 46.2% occurred by Caught dismissals. Bowled and LBW modes of dismissals contributed 20.3% and 21.6%, respectively. The synergy with his fielders was profound; Ashwin-Rahane are one of India’s most successful bowler-fielder pairs, with Ajinkya Rahane being a key contributor of catches from the slips cordon.

Four Captains in the List: A significant portion of the list comprises players who either were or went on to become captains of their respective Test teams, demonstrating Ashwin’s ability to breach the defences of the opposition’s key leaders and tactical thinkers. The captains who feature in this list are Ben Stokes (13 dismissals), Alastair Cook (9 dismissals), Kraigg Brathwaite (8 dismissals), and Steve Smith (8 dismissals).