R Ashwin calls a fan ‘mental’ for asking him to credit Rohit Sharma for his Padma Shri award

On republic day, the Government of India released the list of personalities to be conferred with the Padma Awards in 2025. The list includes 139 individuals who will receive either the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, or Padma Shri. Among them, 113 will be honored with the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award, including Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

Meanwhile, Tamil actor Dhanush tweeted to congratulate R Ashwin, writing, “Congratulating @ashwinravi99 on being the first Tamil Nadu cricketer to have been conferred with a Padma Shri.” In response, R Ashwin replied, “Thank you, bro.”

Meanwhile, in the comment section, a Twitter user wrote, “Thanku bolna hai toh Rohit Sharma ko bolo, usne tumhe khilaya hai” (“If you want to thank someone, thank Rohit Sharma, he is the one who played you”). Ashwin noticed this comment and didn’t hold back from trolling the user. He responded in Tamil, “Dey paithiyam,” which translates to “Hey, mental.”

Dey paithiyam

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) January 26, 2025

Ashwin may have mocked Rohit Sharma’s fan for their irrelevant comment, but he has great respect for his former Indian captain. In 2024, while mentioning Rohit, Ashwin said, “Rohit is a special person, an outstanding leader, with a golden heart. I saw it first-hand. I’d give my life for him on the field—that’s the kind of captain he is.”

Ravichandran Ashwin will be the 40th cricketer to receive the Padma Shri. He joins the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Mithali Raj, Yuvraj Singh, and others on this prestigious list. If talking about national sports awards, the Chennai-born cricketer was honored with the Arjuna Award, the second-highest sports honor in India, in 2014. Given his career and stature, he is also a top contender to receive the Khel Ratna Award in the coming years.

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In December 2024, R Ashwin ended his 14-year-long international career. He concluded his Test career with 537 wickets, which is the second-most by an Indian bowler, after Anil Kumble’s 619. Ashwin has 37 five-wicket hauls in test cricket to his name, equaling the legendary Shane Warne, and trailing only Muttiah Muralitharan, who has left everyone far behind with 67 fifers.