Ravichandran Ashwin conferred with Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu: ‘Honouring his remarkable…’
Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin received the Padma Shri award from President Droupadi Murmu in a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Indian spin bowling legend Ravichandran Ashwin was conferred the honour of receiving the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award. Ashwin received the award from President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on April 28, for his contributions to the nation through sports.
Ashwin was announced as one of the recipients of the prestigious award on the eve of Republic Day, and was present at the ceremony to accept the Padma Shri from President Murmu on Monday. Also in attendance were Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, amongst several other dignitaries. In a live video streamed of the ceremony, Ashwin can be seen paying his respects before receiving the award from India’s president.
Ashwin represented India 287 times over a career that spanned nearly 15 years, before announcing his international retirement in December 2024. Ashwin called time on his career as India’s second-highest leading wicket-taker across formats, with 765 wickets, as well as six Test centuries to his name. He stands only behind some of the very best bowlers in world cricket in terms of wickets, and is widely considered the preeminent spin bowler of his generation, as well as a modern great.
Ashwin retired as a modern-day legend of cricket
The off-spinner became the first cricketer to receive the honour since 2020, when Zaheer Khan was felicitated, and joins the ranks of players such as Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, and Mithali Raj.
Along with Ashwin, a host of other athletes received honours at Rashtrapati Bhavan, including recently-retired two-time Olympic medallist PR Sreejesh, who received the Padma Bhushan for his services as goalkeeper for the men’s national hockey team.
Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket after the Boxing Day Test held in Melbourne in December 2024, but remains active in competitive cricket including the Indian Premier League. Ashwin is currently part of Chennai Super Kings, the franchise with whom he broke through to national recognition in 2010, before going on to become a defining member of India’s national team for the coming decade and more.
