Five-Star Ravichandran Ashwin Reaches 150 Test Wickets, Joins Exclusive Club of Bowling Greats
Ravichandran Ashwin picked up a magnificent 5/51 and proved to be India's trump card on the second day of the first Test between against South Africa in Mohali.
Ravichandran Ashwin's five wickets for 51 destroyed South Africa as India gained upper hand at the end of Day 2 of the first Test in Mohali. This was Ashwin's 13th five-wicket haul in just his 29th Test and he has now taken 100 wickets in India at a magnificent average of 23.43. (SCORECARD) (HIGHLIGHTS) (REPORT)
Ashwin's haul has put him in elite company. He is the quickest Indian to reach the landmark of 150 wickets and he is the eighth-fastest on the all-time list. He has taken these wickets at an average of 27.84.
The likes of Sydney Barnes, Waqar Younis, Clarrie Grimmett, Hugh Tayfield, Ian Botham, Dale Steyn and Saeed Ajmal have taken 150 wickets at a faster rate. The fact that he has taken it quicker than Dennis Lillee, Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill is remarkable.
In the Mohali Test, Ashwin took 50 wickets while opening the bowling. He is only the third right-arm off-spinner and sixth among all category of spinners to have accomplished this feat.
Ashwin is also the first bowler from 1910 onwards to take 50-plus wickets. The last spinner to do so was England's left-arm spinner Colin Blythe, who took 74 wickets in 11 Tests he opened the attack.
On the eve of the Mohali Test, skipper Virat Kohli said Ashwin was his go-to man. The 29-year-old from Chennai has been India's main strike bowler in recent times, claiming 21 wickets in the recent three-Test series in Sri Lanka to walk away with the man-of-the-series award.
Ashwin weaved his magic wonderfully on a crumbling surface. He bowled at the right pace and hit the perfect length on several occasions. The wickets of Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla, both beaten by flight and turn, turned the match India's way.
Ashwin was modest about his achievements. Speaking on STAR Sports, he said, "I like to take five-wicket hauls. It's not a track where you spin and get five-wickets. You have to work on variations and pitch it right."
Ashwin's exhibition was a masterclass and that's bad news for the South Africans who have not lost a series since 2006.
(With inputs from HR Gopala Krishna)