Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 20: Congress MP Vijay Vasanth has urged Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, to honor former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
Vasanth took to social media to share his request, highlighting Ashwin’s exceptional contributions to Indian cricket and his remarkable achievements on the field. “I have written to the Hon’ble @mansukhmandviya, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, requesting that R. Ashwin be conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. His exceptional contributions to Indian cricket and remarkable achievements on the field make him truly deserving of this honour,” Vasanth wrote on X.
Ashwin, who announced his retirement from international cricket after the Brisbane Test on Wednesday, has had a stellar career. He played 106 Tests, claiming 537 wickets, including 37 five-wicket hauls, and scored 3,503 runs. He is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history and the second-highest for India, behind Anil Kumble (619). Ashwin also has the second-most five-wicket hauls in Tests, after Muttiah Muralitharan.
In limited-overs cricket, Ashwin played 181 matches, claiming 228 wickets. He was part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning squad and the 2013 Champions Trophy team. With 765 international wickets across formats, Ashwin ranks as India’s second-highest wicket-taker, behind Kumble.
Ashwin’s retirement marks the end of an era, and his legacy will continue to inspire future generations of cricketers.