R Ashwin‘s sudden retirement from international cricket, after the IND vs AUS 3rd Test, might have sparked off a debate whether it was the right time or not.. but no one can deny it was a glorious career. Amidst all this, there is a certain similarity between Ashwin, and ex-India skipper MS Dhoni‘s retirement.
For starters, Dhoni last played a Test match in 2014 — 3rd Test between India and Australia in Melbourne. So, in short, Ashwin, his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) teammate followed the suit, and hung up his boots after the Brisbane Test. So, InsideSport went a step further to compare the statistics of R Ashwin and MS Dhoni. Of course, one was an all-rounder, the other was a keeper-batter, their batting records are certainly worth looking at.
Ashwin, better Test batter than Dhoni in Australia
For starters, the retirement date of Dhoni is 26 December, 2014, while Ashwins’ is 18 December, 2024. MSD in his career played 90 Tests and went on to score 4876 runs at an average of 38.09. In the 144 innings, he had a highest score of 224 and had 6 tons and 33 fifties to his name. Surprisingly, Ashwin, who played 106 Tests, had six tons in 151 Test innings, despite batting not being his stronger suit. As a batter, Ashwin scored 3503 runs at an average of 25.75, a highest score of 124. He had 14 fifties to his name as well. But the comparison does not stop there.
In Australia, where the two ended their glorious careers — Ashwin averages more than Dhoni. Yes. In the nine matches MS Dhoni played Down Under, he went on to score 311 runs, with a highest score of 57. And his 18 innings had just 2 fifties there. On the other hand, Ashwin fared a little better.
In the 11 matches Ashwin played in Australia, he scored 413 runs at an average of 22.94, better than Dhoni. Along with that he has two fifties as well — a remarkable achievement in itself. Okay, it doesn’t make much of a difference, but Ashwin enjoyed a better strike rate — 51.49, than Dhoni in Australia — 46.
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Ashwin, in fact, had a better record in West Indies as well. In the 6 Tests, the 38-year-old scored 291 runs at an average of 58.20, including two tons. But Dhoni, in his 7 Tests in the West Indies fared poorly, where he could only score 265 runs at an average of 22.08. He had only one fifty to his name.
But of course, overall Dhoni was a much better batter without any doubt. If we were to just look at their numbers in India, where it must have been relatively easier to bat for them — there’s a stark difference. In 65 Tests, Ashwin has 1989 runs at an average of 26.17, while Dhoni at home was a different beast. He scored 2380 runs in 42 Tests, at an average of 42. That included five tons and a highest score of 224.
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