Ranchi: India’s ace spinner R Ashwin added another feather to his cap in the ongoing Test series against England. He became the first Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in Test cricket against the visitors. He achieved this milestone by dismissing Jonny Bairstow for a duck on the second day of the fifth and final Test at the JSCA International Stadium Complex.
Ashwin, who had taken his 500th Test wicket in the previous match at Ahmedabad, reached the triple-digit mark against England in his 23rd Test. He is the second-fastest bowler to do so after Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 100 wickets against England in 16 Tests.
Ashwin’s best bowling figures against England are 6 for 55, which he achieved in the second innings of the Chennai Test in 2016. He has taken five-wicket hauls against England on seven occasions, the most by any Indian bowler.
Ashwin has also been impressive with the bat in this series, scoring a century and three half-centuries. He is the leading run-scorer for India with 386 runs at an average of 55.14. He also has the most wickets for India with 28 scalps at an average of 18.82.
Ashwin has surpassed some of the legendary names in Indian cricket in terms of wickets against England. He has left behind former captains Kapil Dev and Anil Kumble, who took 85 and 92 wickets respectively against England in their careers. He has also overtaken former spinners Bishan Singh Bedi and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, who had 85 and 95 wickets respectively against England.
Ashwin is now second only to Australia’s Shane Warne, who has the most wickets in Test cricket against England with 195. Ashwin has a chance to close the gap with Warne in the remaining innings of the Ranchi Test and the upcoming tour of England later this year.
