Ravichandran Ashwin equalled the Test record set by Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan of being the fastest bowler to reach 350 wickets, after dismissing South Africa’s Theunis de Bruyn on the fifth day of the ongoing first Test at Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
The 33-year-old picked up his 350th wicket in the second over of the fifth day, confusing the Proteas batsman, and scalping his eighth wicket of the match. He had finished the first innings with figures of 7/145, playing a crucial part in dismantling the Dean Elgar, Quinton de Kock-led inspired South Africa batting order.
Follow live updates of the final day of the ongoing Test here.
Both Ashwin and Muralitharan have now reached the 350-wicket milestone faster than anyone else, taking only 66 matches in the longest format of the game. The Sri Lankan spinner, who has a record 800 wickets to his name, picked up his 350th wicket against Bangladesh in 2001.
Following the Asian spinners to achieve the feat are New Zealand’s Sir Richard Hadlee and South Africa’s Dale Steyn in 69 matches, and Australia’s Dennis Lillee in 70 matches.
Muralitharan had taken 3605.2 overs to take his 350th Test wicket, but Ashwin, on the other hand, has proved to be quicker, having taken just 3109.1 overs to send de Bruyn back to the pavilion. The Sri Lanka legend however, has the edge over Ashwin in all other aspects of bowling – average, economy and runs conceded.
To put the Chennai-born off-spinner’s performance in perspective, he has beaten former Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble by 11 Tests. Kumble had taken 77 Test matches to rack up 350 wickets.
Ashwin made his red-ball cricket debut in 2011, and has established himself as the go-to man for dismantling opposition batting orders in the longest format of the game. However, he was not included in the two-match series against West Indies which marked the start of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship for India.
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.
