Ashwin one wicket away from joining elite Test bowling club
Feb 14, 2024
New Delhi [India], February 14 : Star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is on the verge of completing 500 Test wickets as he prepares for the third Test of the five-match Test series against England at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot.
Ashwin has picked nine wickets in two Tests against the Three Lions so far at an average of 36.33. He has not managed to get a four-wicket or a five-wicket haul in the series so far.
The experienced bowler has grabbed a total of 499 wickets in the 97 matches he has played for his national side so far at an average of 23.92 where he has conceded runs at an economy of 2.78 with 24 four-wicket hauls, 34 five-wicket hauls and eight ten-wicket hauls.
He will become the second Indian bowler to achieve this landmark after legendary leg-spinner, Anil Kumble who has bagged 619 wickets in the 132 matches he has played for his national side at an average of 29.65 where he has conceded runs at an economy of 2.69 with 31 four-wicket hauls and 35 five-wicket hauls.
Other than Kumble, there are seven more bowlers who have achieved this landmark who are Muttiah Murlidharan (800), Shane Warne (708), James Anderson (695), Stuart Broad (604), Glenn McGrath (563), Curtly Walsh (519), and Nathan Lyon (517).
The third Test will commence on February 15 in Rajkot while the fourth Test kickstarts in Ranchi on February 23 The fifth and final Test of the series will be played in Dharamsala from March 7.
Heading into the third Test India will be without the experienced wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul as the player was ruled out of the match. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday named Devdutt Padikkal as Rahul's replacement for the third Test.
India's updated Squad for the third 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, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Devdutt Padikkal.
