Ravichandran Ashwin, the spin spearhead of Virat Kohli's 'aggressive' Team India, turned 29 on Thursday. In the five years that he has been part of the national side, the Tamil Nadu off-spinner has gone from strength to strength. He has picked 145 wickets in 28 Tests and 139 wickets in 99 ODIs, thus making him an able successor to the long line of spin greats in Indian cricket.
Ashwin was also the Man of the Series with a record haul of 21 wickets in three matches, in India's 2-1 win over Sri Lanka in the recently-concluded Test series in the island nation.
As Kohli & Co. gears up for another tough South Africa series (the ODI and T20I squads for which will be announced on Sunday), all eyes will be on Ashwin to provide the crucial breakthroughs. Here's a look at the top-five performances by Ashwin in Tests and ODIs.
1. 9/128 vs West Indies (Nov, 2011)
This was Ashwin's debut Test match and he proved his potential by giving a stellar performance. This was also the second-best debut by any Indian spin bowler in Tests after Narendra Hirwani's 16/136 against the Windies in 1988.
2. 12/85 vs New Zealand (Aug, 2012)
It is Ashwin's best Test bowling performance till date. He took six wickets in both the innings to inflict the Kiwis a huge defeat by an innings and 115 runs.
3. 12/198 vs Australia (Feb, 2013)
After a 0-4 Test series defeat Down Under in 2012, it was time for MS Dhoni's India to give it back when the Aussies visited India. Ashwin's performance in first Test in Chennai ensured a perfect beginning to a 4-0 series win.
4. 3/24 vs New Zealand - ODI (Dec, 2010)
Ashwin made his ODI debut in June, 2010, against Sri Lanka. But this economical performance against the Kiwis, which also saw them capitulating at 103, showed that the off-spinner had a bright future.
5. 4/25 vs U.A.E. - ODI (February, 2015)
The off-spinner's best figures in ODIs in 99 matches. That it came at the 2015 World Cup in Australia, made the achievement all the more special despite the opponents not being heavyweights.