R Ashwin, former India spinner, was conferred with the illustrious Padma Shri award on the eve of the 76th Republic Day. The Padma awards, among the country's highest civilian distinctions, are divided into three categories: Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan.

The prizes are granted in a variety of categories, including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medical, and literature. The Padma Shri award is the fourth-highest civilianhonorr, following the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, and Padma Bhushan.

R Ashwin, a 2011 ICC World Cup and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy winner, called time on his India career in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia.

He played 106 Tests and took 537 wickets. He also played 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is, taking 156 and 72 wickets respectively. He was also amazing with the bat, scoring 3503 Test runs with 6 centuries and 14 half-centuries with a best score of 124.

He is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in Tests overall and the second-highest for India, behind Anil Kumble (619 wickets). Ashwin also holds the record for the second-most five-wicket hauls in Tests, trailing only Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (67).

Across all formats, Ashwin took 765 wickets in 287 matches, making him India’s second-highest wicket-taker after Anil Kumble (953 wickets).

Indian PM Narendra Modi congratulated all the Padma award winners in a post on X and R Ashwin quoted the post and showed gratitude after receiving the honor.

“Thank you so much, sir. Heartfelt gratitude,” Ashwin posted.