Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin was awarded the Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Ashwin, one of India’s leading spin bowlers, received the prestigious honor for his outstanding contributions to cricket. He played a key role in India's 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy-winning teams.

With 537 wickets in 106 Test matches, Ashwin is India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the format. He has also scored 3503 runs, including six centuries, in Test cricket. In addition, he has 156 wickets in ODIs and 72 wickets in T20Is. Ashwin retired from international cricket last year following India's Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

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Currently, Ashwin is playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League 2025.

In the same ceremony, former Indian hockey goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh was honored with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to the sport. Sreejesh played a pivotal role in India’s back-to-back Olympic medal wins in Tokyo and Paris. He retired from professional hockey after India’s bronze medal win at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award in India, after the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, and Padma Bhushan.