Who is Adithya Ashok? India-born spinner part of New Zealand's ODI squad

Adithya Ashok was born in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, before his family moved to New Zealand in 2006

After Ish Sodhi and Ajaz Patel, the New Zealand cricket team have fielded their third Indian-descent spinner in their squad against the men in blue in the first ODI of the three match series, at Kotambi Stadium in Vellore. He will be playing the role of lead spinner in the game as mentioned by skipeer Bracewell during the toss of the 1st ODI.

 

Ashok, who rose to prominence after his brilliant outings in the 2020 U-19 World Cup, first caught the eyes of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) back in 2023, when he was called up to the senior squad. However, he did not get much chance and was sidelined soon after. The spinner then proved his quality on the domestic circuit to finally get another call-up for the Kiwis, that too to play against the country he is originally from. 

 

Who is Adithya Ashok?

Adithya Ashok is a New Zealand cricketer of Indian descent. He was born in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, on September 5, 2002, before moving to New Zealand with his family at the age of four. He was educated at Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland, a well-known breeding ground for cricketing talent in the country.

 

Ashok represented New Zealand at the 2020 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, marking his entry into the international pathway. He made his Twenty20 debut for Auckland on December 17, 2021, during the 2021–22 Men’s Super Smash, followed by his List A debut on January 1, 2022, in the 2021–22 Ford Trophy. His first-class debut came in the 2022–23 Plunket Shield season, where he made an immediate impact by taking figures of 5 for 106 against Central Districts.

Ashok’s first glimpse in international cricket

Ashok took his first steps towards international cricket in March 2023, when he received his maiden call-up to the New Zealand A side for a first-class series against Australia. Later that year, his progress was rewarded with selection in New Zealand’s T20 International squad for the tour of the United Arab Emirates.

 

He finally made his T20I debut against the UAE on August 20, 2023, marking his official entry into senior international cricket. His involvement at the top level continued in December 2023, when he was named in New Zealand’s One Day International squad for the series against Bangladesh. He went on to make his ODI debut on December 20, 2023, in the second match of the series.

Adithya Ashok career in numbers

Adithya Ashok has played two One Day Internationals and one T20 International for New Zealand. In ODIs, he has scored 10 runs, with a highest score of 10, and has taken one wicket, with best bowling figures of 1/63 and an economy rate of 6.39. In T20Is, he has taken one wicket, recording best figures of 1/28 with an economy rate of 7.00.  In first-class cricket, he has featured in 16 matches, scoring 246 runs with a highest score of 44 and taking 54 wickets, including a best of 7/103 and four five-wicket hauls. In List A cricket, he has played 30 matches, scoring 183 runs with a highest score of 25 and picking up 37 wickets, with best bowling figures of 4/25.