Ravichandran Ashwin achieved a significant milestone by becoming the ninth bowler globally and the second Indian cricketer to secure 500 Test wickets.
He made history by getting rid of England opener Zak Crawley during the last session of the 2nd day of the third Test. India was eagerly searching for a breakthrough, especially after the solid start provided by England’s openers. Ravichandran Ashwin stepped up to rescue the team, and when Rajat Patidar caught Crawley at short fine leg, the seasoned spinner joined the elite club of being only the second Indian bowler to claim 500 Test wickets.
Ravichandran Ashwin has received accolades from all corners, extending beyond the cricket community to include India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The 37-year-old off-spinner’s remarkable achievement of reaching 500 Test wickets, with an impressive average of 23.94, has garnered praise. Notably, among the eight bowlers with more wickets than him, only two boast a superior average. PM Modi, too, showered rich compliments on Ashwin for this outstanding accomplishment.
PM Narendra Modi tweeted, “Congratulations to Ravichandran Ashwin on the extraordinary milestone of taking 500 Test wickets! His journey and accomplishments are testament to his skill and perseverance. My best wishes to him as he scales further peaks. @ashwinravi99″
In a conversation with the media, Ravichandran Ashwin expressed that reaching the milestone of 500 Test wickets is a commendable feat for someone he humorously called an ‘accidental spinner.’ He shared that his initial aspiration was to become a batter. Still, his career took an unexpected turn after delivering impressive performances for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
“Not bad. Not a bad achievement. I was an accidental spinner,” said Ravichandran Ashwin.
“I wanted to be a batter all along. Life gave me a chance, and when I walked into the CSK dressing room, Muttiah Muralitharan didn’t want to bowl with the new ball, and eventually I got tossed the new ball.”
“First-class career was pretty good, but nevertheless, the stage in the IPL made me visible to a lot of people, and I eventually got my Test debut. People doubted whether I could be a Test bowler, and yeah, 10-13 years later, not bad. Not a bad achievement, so I’m pretty glad,” he added.
Ravichandran Ashwin has had to step back from the ongoing Test series due to a family medical emergency, and unfortunately, he won’t be participating further in the current match.
Comments 1