Ashwin has taken 79 wickets in Tests this season. But he has also broken other records along the way, including that of the most number of balls bowled in a season. (Source: AP)
R Ashwin might have lost his place as the number one Test bowler to fellow teammate Ravindra Jadeja but that did not stop him from setting yet another record of most wickets (79) in a Test season. Ashwin eclipsed Dale Steyn’s tally of 78 which was set in 2007/08.
Other bowlers who feature in the elite list are Ravindra Jadeja with 67* wickets in ongoing season, Glenn McGrath with 66 wickets in the 1998/99 season and Anil Kumble with 64 wickets in the 2004/05 season.
R Ashwin has been in phenomenal form this season. He became the fastest to reach 250 wickets going past Dennis Lillee and Dale Steyn, who had reached this milestone in their 48th and 49th Test match, respectively.
Currently, Ashwin is the fifth highest wicket taker for India in Tests. The 30-year-old spinner from Tamil Nadu, also completed 200 wickets in home Tests in his 30th Test and is among the quickest to do so.
Recently he also bagged his 25th five-wicket haul and he did that in 88 innings. He is also the fastest to 25 five-wicket hauls in Tests. The previous record of fastest to 25 five-wickets hauls (Tests) was held by New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee. He did it in 62 matches.
As of now Ashwin’s current Test bowling strike-rate of 52 is the best by a Test spinner (min 50 wkts) in the last 100 years.
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
2 min read
