Ravichandran Ashwin, the ace spinner, has released photographs of the media box at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, ahead of the third Test, which begins on February 15. The 37-year-old uploaded photos of Lord’s and Saurashtra stadiums, which have identical oval-shaped media boxes.
The media box at Lord’s is also known as the JP Morgan Media Centre. It was designed by Elliot Wood in 1999 and finished in 2017, with a construction cost of around £4 million.
On Monday, February 12, Ravichandran Ashwin posted on X (previously Twitter):
“Media box at the @saucricket ground. Media box at the Lord’s cricket ground.”
The stadium, post-upgrade, will adopt a new identity; it’ll be known as the Niranjan Shah Stadium. This name honors a former player and esteemed administrator. Reportedly, the stadium unveiling by Jay Shah, the current BCCI secretary, will take place in Khanderi.
This arena can hold up to 28,000 spectators and has already seen two Tests. The last India-England match in 2016 ended with neither side winning. Star player Ravichandran Ashwin clinched nine wickets across two Tests at this location.
Ravichandran Ashwin needs one more wicket to join 500 Test club
Ravichandran Ashwin is close to a remarkable achievement. Just one more wicket, and he’ll be the second Indian bowler with 500 Test wickets. Anil Kumble, a former Indian captain, is on top. He took 619 wickets in his notable career.
Other cricketers who have more than 500 Test wickets? There’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warner (708), James Anderson (695*), Stuart Broad (604), Glenn McGrath (563), Courtney Walsh (519), and Nathan Lyon (517*). Impressive!
Ravichandran Ashwin has taken nine wickets in the two Tests against England. The off-spinner will now try to maintain his outstanding performance against the visitors. He’s got 97 wickets swung from England; he’s done 21 tests and six have been five-wicket triumphs.
The 37-year-old recently surpassed BS Chandrasekhar’s record of 95 wickets against the English in the format. His latest achievement came when he pocketed three wickets in Test two, helping India win by 106 runs. This tied the five-match series 1-1.