BCCI to honor Ashwin with Special accolade at Naman Awards
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will honor retired off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin with a "special accolade" at the annual Naman Awards.
The recognition comes in appreciation of Ashwin's immense contribution to Indian cricket, especially his instrumental role in India's 12-year home domination in Test cricket.
Notably, India won 18 consecutive series during this period.
Here's more about the legendary spinner's career.
Career recap
Ashwin's retirement and legacy in Indian cricket
Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket in December 2024, during the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test between India and Australia.
The 38-year-old off-spinner ended his career as India's second-highest wicket-taker (765 wickets) in all formats, only behind Anil Kumble (953 wickets)
His retirement brought an end to an era that witnessed him play a pivotal role in shaping India's success in Test cricket.
Top performers
Bumrah and Mandhana bag top honors at Naman Awards
Jasprit Bumrah, who recently won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year, will receive the Polly Umrigar Award for Best Male International Cricketer.
On the women's side, Smriti Mandhana has been named Best International Cricketer of the Year (Female). She will also be honored with the Highest Run Getter in WODIs medal after finishing as 2024's highest run-scorer.
Stellar achievements
Bumrah's and Mandhana's record-breaking performances in 2024
Bumrah produced phenomenal performances in 2024, becoming the first Indian pacer to win the coveted Sir Garfield Sobers Award.
He was pivotal in India's home Test series wins against England and Bangladesh, and played a crucial role in their T20 World Cup victory.
Meanwhile, Mandhana scored a staggering 747 runs at an average of 57.46 in 13 matches with four centuries and one half-century to her name.
Lifetime achievement
Tendulkar to receive C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award
Sachin Tendulkar, aka 'Master Blaster,' will be awarded the C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony on Saturday.
The prestigious award puts him in the company of cricketing legends like Ajit Wadekar, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Bishan Singh Bedi, S Venkataraghavan, EAS Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar and Mohinder Amarnath who have received the honor before.
Numbers
A look at Ashwin's career numbers in brief
As mentioned he has bagged a stellar 765 wickets across formats (287 matches) in a career spanning from 2010-2014.
He was also part of the victorious 2011 ICC World Cup squad and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy squad.
Other notable records include the third fastest to 350 Test wickets in 66 matches (joint), and the most (joint) player-of-the-series awards in Tests (11).
Notably, he is also the second-quickest all-rounder with 400 Test wickets and 3,000 Test runs.