Ravichandran Ashwin hit a milestone on February 16th. He’s only the second Indian bowler ever to bag 500 Test wickets! This huge moment happened on Day 2 of India’s third game against England in Rajkot.
That success came when the off-spinner removed Zak Crawley, who was caught by Rajat Patidar at short fine leg, breaking England’s 89-run opening partnership.
Ashwin is currently the quickest spinner to reach 500 wickets in Tests. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer reached the milestone in his 97th Test (183 innings), trailing only Australia’s Glenn McGrath (87 matches).
Fans on X (previously Twitter) praised Ravichandran Ashwin’s Test performances. The great Sachin Tendulkar wrote:
“500 Test wickets for a one-in-a-million bowler! In AshWIN the SpinNER, there was always a WINNER. 500 wickets is a huge milestone in Test cricket. Congratulations, Champion!”
Here are some more reactions:
At 37 years of age, he trails only ex-skipper Anil Kumble in India’s all-time wicket tally. The champion leggie claimed a whopping 619 victims in his acclaimed Test career.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s 500th wicket gives India the edge over England
Ravichandran Ashwin helped India take first blood against England in the third Test in Rajkot on Friday.
At the time of writing, England were 140/1 after 25 overs. India batted first and scored 445 in their first innings. Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, top scored with 131 runs off 196 balls, hitting three sixes and fourteen boundaries.
Ravindra Jadeja also scored his century, scoring 112 runs off 225 deliveries, including two sixes and nine boundaries. To help the hosts comeback from a 33-3 deficit, the pair combined for 204 runs.
Debutants Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel both contributed 62 (66) and 46 (104), respectively. Ravichandran Ashwin provided 37 off 89, while Jasprit Bumrah delivered a useful 26 off 28.
Mark Wood shined with the ball for the visitors, taking four wickets, while Rehan Ahmed claimed two. James Anderson, Tom Hartley, and Joe Root all settled for one wicket each.