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Recently-retired Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin received the Padma Shri for his sports contributions in the 2025 Padma Awards. He retired with 537 Test wickets.
Ravichandran Ashwin is one of India’s greatest cricketers.
Recently-retired Indian men’s off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been awarded the Padma Shri award for his contribution to sports in the 2025 Padma Awards announced on Saturday (January 25), on Republic Day eve.
The Padma Awards are among the highest civilian honors in India. These are approved by and conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. For 2025, 138 awardees have been chosen, including seven for Padma Vibhushan and 19 for Padma Bhushan.
Ashwin is among the 113 to be conferred with the Padma Shri. He’s also one of the five sportspersons to get the Padma Award honor in 2025.
“Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri,” a government press release said. “The Awards are given in various disciplines / fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field.”
Tamil Nadu’s son, Ashwin is one of India’s greatest-ever cricketers. He retired as the second-highest wicket-taker for the country in Tests with 537 scalps in 106 games, only behind Anil Kumble. He announced the decision after the second Test of India’s five-match tour of Australia in December 2024.
In the announcement, he had thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), his teammates and the opposition.
“I won’t take too much of your time. Today will be the last day for me as an India cricketer. There’s a bit left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to exploit it at the domestic and club-level cricket… I have had a lot of fun, a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates. We’ve lost some of them over the last few years, we’ve been the last bunch of OGs I can say that are left out in the dressing room. I can mark this as my last day in the dressing room,” Ashwin had said.
He’ll be seen in action in the upcoming Indian Premier League.
