5 Indian origin players who have played in the Ashes

The Ashes is an iconic five-match Test series between England and Australia and one of the longest-running rivalries in sports. The rivalry which began way back in 1882 sees two heavyweight nations collide with each other, with the winners claiming one of the most famous and smallest trophies in sport - the Ashes urn. In the 72 editions of the epic Test series played thus far, the Aussies have won it 34 times whereas England have stood tall on 32 occasions, and six series have ended in stalemate. Australia are the current holders of the urn, having thrashed the Three Lions 4-0 the last time the two sides met in 2021-22. The Ashes has witnessed many top-drawer cricketers take center stage. Interestingly, the list features some cricketers who belong to the Indian origin and have done well for their nations. Here are five Indian-origin players who have played in The Ashes: 5. Monty Panesar Mudhsuden Singh Panesar (fondly called Monty Panesar) was born to Indian parents, Paramjit Singh and Gursharan Kaur in Luton in 1982. The 40-year-old made his international debut in 2006 and went on to represent England in all three formats. Test cricket was Monty’s happy hunting ground where he featured in 50 matches and bagged 167 wickets at an average of 34.71. The former England cricketer did a decent job in ODIs, picking up 24 wickets in 26 games at an economy of 4.49. The Luton-born also played a T20I game, where he bagged two wickets for his side. Monty made six appearances in The Ashes and bagged 14 wickets for his side, including a sensational five-wicket haul that he took in his first-ever Ashes Test against Australia in 2006. His last international appearance was a Boxing Day Test match against the Aussies in 2013. 4. Ravi Bopara Ravi Bopara was born in an immigrant Indian Sikh family at Forest Gate, London in 1985. Bopara was an integral part of England's white-ball set-up due to his ability to contribute with both the bat and ball. The 37-year-old has featured in 120 ODIs and scored 2695 runs at an average of 30.62. Also, he bagged 40 wickets at an economy of 4.91. When it comes to the T20Is, Bopara has scored 711 runs in 38 games and bagged 16 wickets at an economy of 7.21. Besides the former England cricketer’s exploits in the limited overs circuit, he has done a decent job in the Test arena and scored 575 runs in 13 games at an average of 31.94. Bopara also represented England on four occasions in The Ashes but was not able to make a mark with his performances. In those outings, the London-born could only manage 105 runs at an average of 15.00. Bopara last donned the England jersey in March 2015 but he is still an active cricketer and features in various T20 leagues around the world. 3. Stuart Clark Stuart Clark was born to Anglo-Indian parents in Sydney in 1975. The former Australian cricketer’s father Bruce Clark was from Chennai whereas his mother Mary was from Kolar Gold Fields (K.G.F). During his playing days, the 47-year-old was a prominent figure in the Test arena and provided many match-winning contributions with the ball. Clark featured in 24 matches in the longest format of the game and bagged 94 scalps at an average of 23.86. The former Australian pacer was quite sensational in The Ashes and wreaked havoc with the ball on many occasions. He played seven Test matches against England and took 30 wickets at an average of 20.63. Clark also displayed his bowling might in limited-overs cricket time and time again. He featured in 39 ODIs and bagged 53 wickets at an economy of 4.84. In the shortest format, the former Australian seamer picked up 13 wickets in nine games at a superb economy of 6.58. Clark decided to hang his boots from state cricket and international cricket in May 2011. 2. Mark Ramprakash Mark Ramprakash was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire in the year 1969. Ramprakash is of Indo-Guyanese and English origin. His father was Indo-Guyanese and mother was of English descent. He was a run-machine in the England domestic circuit and amassed a staggering tally of 35659 in 461 first-class games at an average of 53.14. However, the 53-year-old did not have the same success in the international arena. Ramprakash featured in 52 Tests and scored 2350 runs at an average of 27.32 but the former England batter was a consistent performer in The Ashes. He played 12 Test matches against Australia and scored 933 runs at an average of 42.40. Ramprakash also made 18 ODI appearances and scored 376 runs at an average of 26.85. The Hertfordshire -born last donned the England jersey in April 2002 but continued playing domestic cricket till June 2012. 1. Nasser Hussain Nasser Hussain was born in Madras (now Chennai), India. His father was an Indian Tamil Muslim and mother was of English descent. Nasser went on to become one of the prominent names in England's cricketing circles. During his playing days, the 54-year-old was a rock of England's batting line-up and proved his mettle in the international arena on many occasions. Test cricket was Nasser’s cup of tea and he scored 5764 runs in 96 games at an average of 37.18. In the 50-overs format, he scored 2332 runs in 88 matches at an average of 30.28. Besides Nasser’s batting prowess, he was an astute tactician of the game and led England in 45 Tests and 56 ODIs. Nasser was prolific with the bat in The Ashes. He played 23 games in the iconic Test series and scored 1581 runs at an average of 38.56. The Chennai-born also captained the national side in two Ashes series but was not able to shepherd his troops to a series triumph. The legendary cricketer hung his boots from all forms of cricket in May 2004.

5 Indian origin players who have played in the Ashes

The Ashes is an iconic five-match Test series between England and Australia and is one of the longest-running rivalries in sports.

2. Mark Ramprakash