Ravichandran Ashwin Is India's Most Valuable Player In Test Cricket In 2016

Ravichandran Ashwin has become India's highest run-scorer and wicket-taker in Tests in 2016. He is India's leading all-rounder and is No. 1 in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings too.

Ashwin, who in recent times has been pushed up the batting order in Test cricket, has scored 275 runs in five Tests at an average of 55.00, with two hundreds. He has also grabbed 17 wickets, with two five-wicket hauls. (Note: Stats included till the first innings of India vs New Zealand first Test at Kanpur)

Ashwin has enjoyed a stellar Test career so far. He has over 190 wickets in 36 Tests and scored 1,400 runs. A batting average of 34 and a bowling average of 25. All these numbers show how important a member Ravichandran Ashwin is to the Virat Kohli-led Indian Test side.

In the recently concluded series against the West Indies, Ashwin became the third Indian player after Kapil Dev and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to take two five wicket hauls and score two half-centuries in a Test series.

He has hit four Test centuries so far, all of them against the West Indies.

For all those who feel Ashwin is yet to stamp his authority outside the sub-continent, the off-spinner has taken 74 wickets in India's last four Test series, out of which 38 have come in Sri Lanka and West Indies.

With a long home season ahead for India, Ashwin will hold the key if Kohli's men are to become the number one ranked Test team.