Ravichandran Ashwin delivered a masterclass performance for India in the first Test against Bangladesh, reminding everyone why he’s ranked No. 1 in the ICC Test bowler’s rankings. The 38-year-old spinner took six wickets for 88 runs in Bangladesh’s second innings, helping India dismiss the visitors for 234 runs, securing a commanding 280-run victory in the series opener.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s brilliance wasn’t confined to just his bowling. With the bat, he contributed a valuable 113 runs off 133 balls, becoming India’s top scorer in the first innings and reinforcing his status as a genuine all-rounder. For his match-winning contributions, Ashwin was rightfully awarded the Player of the Match.
Having played 101 Tests, the veteran spinner continues to break records with every appearance. His stellar all-round display in Chennai is just one chapter in his illustrious career, but as the second Test approaches in Kanpur, more milestones are within his grasp. Ravichandran Ashwin has already taken 29 wickets in seven Tests against Bangladesh. He needs just three more wickets to surpass Zaheer Khan and become the leading wicket-taker in matches between India and Bangladesh.
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Additionally, Ashwin is on the verge of joining an elite group of bowlers. With one more fourth-innings wicket, he will become the first Indian, and the sixth bowler globally, to take 100 wickets in the fourth innings of Test matches.
List Of Records #RavichandranAshwin Can Break In 2nd India-Bangladesh Test#INDvsBAN #IndianCricketTeam https://t.co/UsdqxYEJb1
— News18 CricketNext (@cricketnext) September 24, 2024
The only bowlers to have achieved this feat are legends like Shane Warne, Nathan Lyon, Rangana Herath, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Glenn McGrath. Ravichandran Ashwin’s 48 wickets in nine matches of the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle put him close to overtaking Australia’s Josh Hazlewood as the leading wicket-taker of the ongoing cycle.
A five-wicket haul in the second Test would not only place him ahead of Hazlewood but also allow him to surpass Shane Warne’s 37 five-wicket hauls, claiming the second spot behind Muralitharan in this prestigious list.
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If Ravichandran Ashwin takes eight wickets in Kanpur, he will become the leading wicket-taker in World Test Championship history, overtaking Nathan Lyon. Additionally, with nine wickets, he’ll break Lyon’s record of 530 wickets, rising to the 7th spot in the list of all-time leading wicket-takers in Test cricket.
