Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is about to create another record during the upcoming third Test against England. Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to become India’s leading wicket-taker in home Tests, surpassing the legendary Anil Kumble.
Team India will compete against England in the third Test of the five-match series at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) stadium in Rajkot, starting on Thursday, February 15. The current red ball series is tied 1-1, with each team winning one match.
Ravichandran Ashwin needs five wickets to break Anil Kumble’s record
Ravichandran Ashwin is on the verge of overtaking Anil Kumble as India’s leading Test wicket-taker at home. The 37-year-old bowler needs just five more wickets to achieve this important milestone, solidifying his legacy as one of India’s leading Test cricketers.
Kumble holds the record with 350 wickets in 63 Tests, including 25 five-wicket hauls and seven 10-wicket hauls. Ashwin has secured 346 wickets in 57 matches, with 26 five-wicket hauls and six 10-wicket hauls. Harbhajan Singh is third in the list with 265 wickets.
Former Sri Lankan player Muttiah Muralitharan is the most successful bowler at home, having taken 493 wickets in 73 matches. His notable record includes 45 five-wicket hauls and 15 10-wicket hauls, demonstrating his dominance in Sri Lankan cricket.
Most Indian bowler wickets in home Tests
Anil Kumble – 350 wickets
Ravichandran Ashwin – 346 wickets
Harbhajan Singh – 265 wickets
Kapil Dev – 219 wickets
Ravindra Jadeja – 199 wickets
Ravichandran Ashwin on the brink of 500 Test cricket wickets
Ravichandran Ashwin is about to reach a major milestone in Test cricket as he needs just one more wicket to reach 500 wickets. Ashwin will become the ninth bowler in the world and the second Indian to join this elite list in the longest format of the game.
The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer took 499 wickets in 97 Tests at an impressive average of 23.92. Throughout his career, he has taken 34 five-wicket hauls and eight ten-wicket hauls. The veteran player made his debut against the West Indies in November 2011.
Ashwin secured three wickets in each innings during the opening Test in Hyderabad. The spinner ran out of wicket in the first innings of the second match in Visakhapatnam. However, Ashwin made a significant comeback in the second innings, claiming three crucial wickets.
Ashwin has taken nine wickets in the ongoing series against England at an average of 36.33. In total, he has bagged 97 wickets in 21 Tests, including six five-wicket hauls. He needs just three more wickets to become the first Indian to reach 100 Test wickets against England.
In the first two Tests, the Indian spinners struggled to make an impact with the ball, with only Jasprit Bumrah standing out in the bowling attack. In contrast, England’s inexperienced spinners outscored their Indian counterparts, with 33 wickets compared to India’s 23.
India team for the 3rd Test: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Devdutt Padikkal.
Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah becomes India’s fastest bowler to complete 150 Test wickets, surpasses Kapil Dev, Ravichandran Ashwin