When you think about the sharpest cricketing minds in this day and age, one cricketer truly justifies that list, the modern-day great off-spinner <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20-is-more-a-team-game-much-like-football-ravi-ashwin-explains-his-decision-to-retire-out/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravi Ashwin</a>. He isn’t just a skillful player with his finger spinning abilities but is also one of the smartest guys in every aspect of the game. He’s got a competitive spirit that is noticeable in his actions and aura on the field. Time and again, we have seen him contributing tactically and shrewdly. Be it the Indian cricket team, the IPL franchises he’s been with, or his state team Tamil Nadu, Ravi Ashwin has always stepped forward by doing something out of the box, and often it has turned out fruitful.

Yet again Ravi Ashwin is in the spotlight and this time it’s for really out-of-the-box thinking. Whatever the situation is, there are chances that Ravi Ashwin might do something that will surely turn cricketing heads in utter astonishment.

You might agree or not with what he does on the cricket field but he never ceases to amaze cricket fans around the globe because whenever he’s in the limelight it becomes a huge talking point in the cricketing sphere. One might wonder where it all began, So here are three instances when Ravi Ashwin made headlines for his out-of-the-box thinking on the cricket field:

1. Controversially ran Jos Buttler out

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-628083" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ravi-Ashwin-mankads-Jos-Buttler.jpg" alt="Ravi Ashwin mankads Jos Buttler" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-628083" class="wp-caption-text">Ravi Ashwin mankads Jos Buttler (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Ashwin and &#8216;Mankading&#8217; is an old relationship that goes long back. A decade ago, in 2012 he got Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Thirimane out backing up at the non-striker’s end. However, India’s then stand-in captain Virender Sehwag withdrew the appeal, citing “spirit of cricket” criticisms as the reason. Four years later, in the memorable 2016 T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh, he was about to cause a similar stir by advising his teammate Hardik Pandya to try &#8216;mankading&#8217; in the final over, and he was openly unapologetic about that.

But, what made waves was the unforgettable <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2022-match-13-rr-vs-rcb-stats-review-jos-buttler-shatters-a-plethora-of-records-amid-rcbs-triumph/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jos Buttler</a> &#8216;mankading&#8217; dismissal in the IPL 2019, which polarised the cricket fraternity and caused a huge social media uproar. What happened was Rajasthan Royals were cruising at 108 for 1 and then Joss Butler was dismissed for 69 in Rajasthan Royals&#8217; chase of 185. RR eventually lost the match by 14 runs.

Many cricket fans accused R Ashwin of unfairly running out Jos Buttler, but Ashwin, the then Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) captain, remained firm and responded to the accusations by saying “On my part, it was very instinctive and it was not planned or anything like that, It is there in the rules of the games. I don’t know where the understanding of the spirit of cricket comes from because quite naturally if it’s there in the rules, it’s there. So probably the rules need to go back and be sorted”.

2. Removed pads in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final vs Karnataka

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-628082" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ashwin-removed-pads-in-Syed-Mushtaq-Ali-Trophy-2019-final.jpg" alt="Ashwin removed pads in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-628082" class="wp-caption-text">Ashwin removed pads in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

One can’t deny that Ravi Ashwin is an intelligent cricketing mind, because he typically applies innovative tactics whenever he’s in the middle while bowling or batting. One such clever incident occurred when R Ashwin was batting for his state team, Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final against Karnataka in Surat.

Ravi Ashwin exhibited a unique way of running between the wickets during the crucial final over. Before the final delivery of the match when Tamil Nadu needed 3 runs to seal the final, Ashwin who was at the non-striker’s end decided to remove his pads in an attempt to increase the acceleration while running between the wickets.

It might have been for the first time that a player sprinted without his batting pads on in the modern-day <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/3-rules-from-the-football-world-that-can-be-introduced-in-cricket/">cricket </a>scenario.

3. Retired out in IPL 2022 vs Lucknow Super Giants

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-626259" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ravichandran-Ashwin.jpg" alt="Ravichandran Ashwin" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-626259" class="wp-caption-text">Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption>

In the latest edition of the IPL, Ravi Ashwin&#8217;s gambit was truly ‘historic’ because it happened for the first time in the history of IPL, and it also helped Rajasthan Royals to post a decent total which helped them win the close encounter. Ravi Ashwin opted for retiring out when he was batting on 28 from 23 balls in the 19th over against Lucknow Super Giants, to let Riyan Parag up the ante in the middle with Shimron Hetmyer.

Royals captain <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2022-match-13-rr-vs-rcb-stats-review-jos-buttler-shatters-a-plethora-of-records-amid-rcbs-triumph/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sanju Samson</a> said Ashwin’s clever act was a “team decision”. ”It’s about being Rajasthan Royals (Ashwin’s retired out). We keep trying different things,” Samson said after RR’s three-run victory. “Have been talking about it before the season. We thought that if some situation occurs, we can use it. It was a team decision,” he added.  According to cricket laws, &#8220;Batters are allowed to retire at any time of the innings when the ball is dead after informing the umpires&#8221;.

Analysts have often indicated retiring a batter who is having difficulty scoring, rapidly helps teams in T20 cricket. West Indies’ cricketer Ian Bishop tweeted: “Ashwin retired out is fascinating T20 tactics. T20 is causing us to rethink the way we conceive the game in the 21st century.”

All in all, It is fair to say that Ravi Ashwin is not only an experienced campaigner and a modern-day cricketing legend but also an innovative tactician and a true entertainer of the game.

When you think about the sharpest cricketing minds in this day and age, one cricketer truly justifies that list, the modern-day great off-spinner <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20-is-more-a-team-game-much-like-football-ravi-ashwin-explains-his-decision-to-retire-out/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravi Ashwin</a>. He isn’t just a skillful player with his finger spinning abilities but is also one of the smartest guys in every aspect of the game. He’s got a competitive spirit that is noticeable in his actions and aura on the field. Time and again, we have seen him contributing tactically and shrewdly. Be it the Indian cricket team, the IPL franchises he’s been with, or his state team Tamil Nadu, Ravi Ashwin has always stepped forward by doing something out of the box, and often it has turned out fruitful.
Yet again Ravi Ashwin is in the spotlight and this time it’s for really out-of-the-box thinking. Whatever the situation is, there are chances that Ravi Ashwin might do something that will surely turn cricketing heads in utter astonishment.
You might agree or not with what he does on the cricket field but he never ceases to amaze cricket fans around the globe because whenever he’s in the limelight it becomes a huge talking point in the cricketing sphere. One might wonder where it all began, So here are three instances when Ravi Ashwin made headlines for his out-of-the-box thinking on the cricket field:
<h3>1. Controversially ran Jos Buttler out&nbsp;</h3>
<figure id="attachment_628083" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-628083" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-628083" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ravi-Ashwin-mankads-Jos-Buttler.jpg" alt="Ravi Ashwin mankads Jos Buttler" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-628083" class="wp-caption-text">Ravi Ashwin mankads Jos Buttler (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Ashwin and ‘Mankading’ is an old relationship that goes long back. A decade ago, in 2012 he got Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Thirimane out backing up at the non-striker’s end. However, India’s then stand-in captain Virender Sehwag withdrew the appeal, citing “spirit of cricket” criticisms as the reason. Four years later, in the memorable 2016 T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh, he was about to cause a similar stir by advising his teammate Hardik Pandya to try ‘mankading’ in the final over, and he was openly unapologetic about that.
But, what made waves was the unforgettable <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2022-match-13-rr-vs-rcb-stats-review-jos-buttler-shatters-a-plethora-of-records-amid-rcbs-triumph/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jos Buttler</a> ‘mankading’ dismissal in the IPL 2019, which polarised the cricket fraternity and caused a huge social media uproar. What happened was Rajasthan Royals were cruising at 108 for 1 and then Joss Butler was dismissed for 69 in Rajasthan Royals’ chase of 185. RR eventually lost the match by 14 runs.
Many cricket fans accused R Ashwin of unfairly running out Jos Buttler, but Ashwin, the then Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) captain, remained firm and responded to the accusations by saying “On my part, it was very instinctive and it was not planned or anything like that, It is there in the rules of the games. I don’t know where the understanding of the spirit of cricket comes from because quite naturally if it’s there in the rules, it’s there. So probably the rules need to go back and be sorted”.

<h3>2. Removed pads in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final vs Karnataka</h3>
<figure id="attachment_628082" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-628082" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-628082" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ashwin-removed-pads-in-Syed-Mushtaq-Ali-Trophy-2019-final.jpg" alt="Ashwin removed pads in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-628082" class="wp-caption-text">Ashwin removed pads in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
One can’t deny that Ravi Ashwin is an intelligent cricketing mind, because he typically applies innovative tactics whenever he’s in the middle while bowling or batting. One such clever incident occurred when R Ashwin was batting for his state team, Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final against Karnataka in Surat.
Ravi Ashwin exhibited a unique way of running between the wickets during the crucial final over. Before the final delivery of the match when Tamil Nadu needed 3 runs to seal the final, Ashwin who was at the non-striker’s end decided to remove his pads in an attempt to increase the acceleration while running between the wickets.
It might have been for the first time that a player sprinted without his batting pads on in the modern-day <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/3-rules-from-the-football-world-that-can-be-introduced-in-cricket/">cricket </a>scenario.

<h3>3. Retired out in IPL 2022 vs Lucknow Super Giants</h3>
<figure id="attachment_626259" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-626259" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-626259" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ravichandran-Ashwin.jpg" alt="Ravichandran Ashwin" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-626259" class="wp-caption-text">Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
In the latest edition of the IPL, Ravi Ashwin’s gambit was truly ‘historic’ because it happened for the first time in the history of IPL, and it also helped Rajasthan Royals to post a decent total which helped them win the close encounter. Ravi Ashwin opted for retiring out when he was batting on 28 from 23 balls in the 19th over against Lucknow Super Giants, to let Riyan Parag up the ante in the middle with Shimron Hetmyer.
Royals captain <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2022-match-13-rr-vs-rcb-stats-review-jos-buttler-shatters-a-plethora-of-records-amid-rcbs-triumph/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sanju Samson</a> said Ashwin’s clever act was a “team decision”. ”It’s about being Rajasthan Royals (Ashwin’s retired out). We keep trying different things,” Samson said after RR’s three-run victory. “Have been talking about it before the season. We thought that if some situation occurs, we can use it. It was a team decision,” he added.&nbsp; According to cricket laws, “Batters are allowed to retire at any time of the innings when the ball is dead after informing the umpires”.
Analysts have often indicated retiring a batter who is having difficulty scoring, rapidly helps teams in T20 cricket. West Indies’ cricketer Ian Bishop tweeted: “Ashwin retired out is fascinating T20 tactics. T20 is causing us to rethink the way we conceive the game in the 21st century.”
All in all, It is fair to say that Ravi Ashwin is not only an experienced campaigner and a modern-day cricketing legend but also an innovative tactician and a true entertainer of the game.

When you think about the sharpest cricketing minds in this day and age, one cricketer truly justifies that list, the modern-day great off-spinner <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20-is-more-a-team-game-much-like-football-ravi-ashwin-explains-his-decision-to-retire-out/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravi Ashwin</a>. He isn’t just a skillful player with his finger spinning abilities but is also one of the smartest guys in every aspect of the game. He’s got a competitive spirit that is noticeable in his actions and aura on the field. Time and again, we have seen him contributing tactically and shrewdly. Be it the Indian cricket team, the IPL franchises he’s been with, or his state team Tamil Nadu, Ravi Ashwin has always stepped forward by doing something out of the box, and often it has turned out fruitful.
Yet again Ravi Ashwin is in the spotlight and this time it’s for really out-of-the-box thinking. Whatever the situation is, there are chances that Ravi Ashwin might do something that will surely turn cricketing heads in utter astonishment.
You might agree or not with what he does on the cricket field but he never ceases to amaze cricket fans around the globe because whenever he’s in the limelight it becomes a huge talking point in the cricketing sphere. One might wonder where it all began, So here are three instances when Ravi Ashwin made headlines for his out-of-the-box thinking on the cricket field:
<h3>1. Controversially ran Jos Buttler out </h3>
<figure id="attachment_628083" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-628083" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-628083" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ravi-Ashwin-mankads-Jos-Buttler.jpg" alt="Ravi Ashwin mankads Jos Buttler" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-628083" class="wp-caption-text">Ravi Ashwin mankads Jos Buttler (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Ashwin and &#8216;Mankading&#8217; is an old relationship that goes long back. A decade ago, in 2012 he got Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Thirimane out backing up at the non-striker’s end. However, India’s then stand-in captain Virender Sehwag withdrew the appeal, citing “spirit of cricket” criticisms as the reason. Four years later, in the memorable 2016 T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh, he was about to cause a similar stir by advising his teammate Hardik Pandya to try &#8216;mankading&#8217; in the final over, and he was openly unapologetic about that.
But, what made waves was the unforgettable <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2022-match-13-rr-vs-rcb-stats-review-jos-buttler-shatters-a-plethora-of-records-amid-rcbs-triumph/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jos Buttler</a> &#8216;mankading&#8217; dismissal in the IPL 2019, which polarised the cricket fraternity and caused a huge social media uproar. What happened was Rajasthan Royals were cruising at 108 for 1 and then Joss Butler was dismissed for 69 in Rajasthan Royals&#8217; chase of 185. RR eventually lost the match by 14 runs.
Many cricket fans accused R Ashwin of unfairly running out Jos Buttler, but Ashwin, the then Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) captain, remained firm and responded to the accusations by saying “On my part, it was very instinctive and it was not planned or anything like that, It is there in the rules of the games. I don’t know where the understanding of the spirit of cricket comes from because quite naturally if it’s there in the rules, it’s there. So probably the rules need to go back and be sorted”.

<h3>2. Removed pads in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final vs Karnataka</h3>
<figure id="attachment_628082" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-628082" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-628082" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ashwin-removed-pads-in-Syed-Mushtaq-Ali-Trophy-2019-final.jpg" alt="Ashwin removed pads in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-628082" class="wp-caption-text">Ashwin removed pads in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
One can’t deny that Ravi Ashwin is an intelligent cricketing mind, because he typically applies innovative tactics whenever he’s in the middle while bowling or batting. One such clever incident occurred when R Ashwin was batting for his state team, Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final against Karnataka in Surat.
Ravi Ashwin exhibited a unique way of running between the wickets during the crucial final over. Before the final delivery of the match when Tamil Nadu needed 3 runs to seal the final, Ashwin who was at the non-striker’s end decided to remove his pads in an attempt to increase the acceleration while running between the wickets.
It might have been for the first time that a player sprinted without his batting pads on in the modern-day <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/3-rules-from-the-football-world-that-can-be-introduced-in-cricket/">cricket </a>scenario.

<h3>3. Retired out in IPL 2022 vs Lucknow Super Giants</h3>
<figure id="attachment_626259" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-626259" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-626259" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ravichandran-Ashwin.jpg" alt="Ravichandran Ashwin" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-626259" class="wp-caption-text">Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
In the latest edition of the IPL, Ravi Ashwin&#8217;s gambit was truly ‘historic’ because it happened for the first time in the history of IPL, and it also helped Rajasthan Royals to post a decent total which helped them win the close encounter. Ravi Ashwin opted for retiring out when he was batting on 28 from 23 balls in the 19th over against Lucknow Super Giants, to let Riyan Parag up the ante in the middle with Shimron Hetmyer.
Royals captain <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2022-match-13-rr-vs-rcb-stats-review-jos-buttler-shatters-a-plethora-of-records-amid-rcbs-triumph/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sanju Samson</a> said Ashwin’s clever act was a “team decision”. ”It’s about being Rajasthan Royals (Ashwin’s retired out). We keep trying different things,” Samson said after RR’s three-run victory. “Have been talking about it before the season. We thought that if some situation occurs, we can use it. It was a team decision,” he added.  According to cricket laws, &#8220;Batters are allowed to retire at any time of the innings when the ball is dead after informing the umpires&#8221;.
Analysts have often indicated retiring a batter who is having difficulty scoring, rapidly helps teams in T20 cricket. West Indies’ cricketer Ian Bishop tweeted: “Ashwin retired out is fascinating T20 tactics. T20 is causing us to rethink the way we conceive the game in the 21st century.”
All in all, It is fair to say that Ravi Ashwin is not only an experienced campaigner and a modern-day cricketing legend but also an innovative tactician and a true entertainer of the game.

You might agree or not with what Ashwin does on the cricket field but he never ceases to amaze cricket fans.

3 Instances when Ravi Ashwin made headlines for his out-of-the-box thinking

Ravi Ashwin isn’t just a skillful player with his finger spinning abilities but is also one of the smartest guys in every aspect of the game.