Sanjay Bangar reckoned that Ravichandran Ashwin has the potential to challenge and subsequently surpass Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan (800 scalps) as the all-time leading wicket-taker in Test cricket. Among the current set of bowlers, the fast bowling duo of England-James Anderson and Stuart Broad, and Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin are closest to the wily off-break bowler.
Ravichandran Ashwin is currently 12th on the list, having already picked up over 420 wickets(426 scalps in 81 Tests) over his 11-year-long Test career. The tweaker recently turned 35 years old and played a vital role in the two-match Test series against New Zealand where he was awarded Man of the Series, finishing as the 2nd highest wicket-taker after Ajaz Patel (17) but his 14 scalps came at a better average of 11.36.
Sanjay Bangar: Ravichandran Ashwin Can Challenge Muttiah Muralitharan’s Record If He Remains Fit For A Long Time
Sanjay Bangar said that Ravichandran Ashwin has every chance of surpassing Muttiah Muralitharan’s tally provided he’s able to stay fit over the next few years.
“He can challenge Muralitharan’s record if he remains fit for a long time because Muttiah Muralitharan has himself said that if someone can break his record, it is Ravichandran Ashwin,” Sanjay Bangar was quoted as saying on Star Sports.
Besides being India’s third-highest wicket-taker in Tests, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also scored 2755 runs from 81 Tests. Ravichandran Ashwin achieved the haul of 50 Test wickets for the fourth time in a year and managed to pick 300 wickets at home, becoming the 2nd Indian bowler to do so after Anil Kumble.
Sanjay Bangar Reckons Ravichandran Ashwin Bowling Long Spells Indicate He May Become Leading Test Wicket Taker
Sanjay Bangar said that the Tamil Nadu-born cricketer bowls long spells and hence has a better chance of being amongst the wickets for the rest of his career. Recently, Ravichandran Ashwin also made his comeback into limited-overs cricket after four years while taking part in the T20 World Cup 2021.
Ravichandran Ashwin recently made a successful comeback to India’s T20I squad after a gap of four years, during the T20I World Cup in the UAE. He has continued the good work in the home T20I series against New Zealand. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has played 5 T20Is since his comeback in the limited-overs format after a gap of 4 years. He has picked 9 scalps at an average of 11.66 and an economy rate of 5.25, and a strike rate of 13.3.
“The way he bowls and bowls the long spells and we have seen of late that it is his second wing because he has made a comeback in T20 cricket as well. He has concentrated more on his off-spin while playing Test cricket. So, I feel the indications are good that he might cross that milestone as well,” he added.
On Sunday, December 5, he became the first bowler to notch 50 Test wickets in 2021. He achieved the feat during India’s 2nd Test against the Black Caps at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It also happened to be the fourth time that he reached the milestone in the calendar years.
Apart from his bowling process, all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin is more than handy as a batter. He scored four tons against the West Indies to start with after which got a century against England at the Chepauk earlier this year. He also has 11 half-centuries to his name.