Ravichandran Ashwin made history by becoming the fastest Indian bowler to reach 500 Test wickets. He achieved this milestone by dismissing England’s Zak Crawley on Day 2 of the third Test in Rajkot. Ashwin narrowly missed reaching the milestone in the second Test against England but quickly made up for it in the following match. Overall, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for the fastest to 500 Test wickets, achieving it in 87 matches. Before Ashwin, Anil Kumble held the Indian record, achieving it in 105 matches.
Fastest to 500 Test wickets:
Mutthiah Muralidaran (Sri Lanka) in 87 matches
Ravichandran Ashwin (India) in 98 matches
Anil Kumble (India) in 105 matches
Shane Warne (Australia) in 108 matches
Glenn McGrath (Australia) in 110 matches
Courtney Walsh (West Indies) in 129 matches
James Anderson (England) in 129 matches
Stuart Broad (England) in 140 matches
Ashwin’s achievement also marks him as only the third off-spinner in cricket history to achieve this feat. He now stands as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests, trailing behind the legendary Anil Kumble, who retired with 619 wickets to his name.
Ashwin, at 37 years old, reached this historic milestone on the second day of the current Test match. Requiring just one wicket to achieve the feat, he claimed it by dismissing opener Zak Crawley, who mistimed a sweep shot, resulting in a catch by Rajat Patidar at short fine leg.
This achievement comes after India was earlier bowled out for 445 runs in their first innings.
Among off-spinners, Ashwin joins the elite company of retired Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralidaran, who has 800 wickets, and Australia’s Nathan Lyon, who reached the 500-wicket mark last year.
Ashwin’s accomplishment makes him the ninth bowler overall to reach the 500-wicket mark in Test cricket, achieving this milestone in his 97th Test match.
Indeed, Ashwin’s journey in Test cricket since his debut in 2011 has been remarkable, marked by consistent performances and numerous records.
Ashwin’s journey from being an engineering graduate to becoming a top off-spinner is fascinating. Initially, he pursued batting and medium pace bowling but switched to off-spin due to a back injury during his teenage years.
Indeed, stepping into the shoes of legendary spinners like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh was no easy task, but Ashwin has filled them admirably with his consistent performances.
Ashwin’s impact extends beyond Test cricket, as he has showcased his skills in the limited-overs formats as well. With 156 ODI wickets in 116 matches and 72 wickets in 65 T20 Internationals, he has been a valuable asset for India across all formats of the game.
