Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked seven wickets in the first innings of the first Test match against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. The seasoned campaigner is in line to equal the world record of Sri Lanka’s spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer achieved his 27th five-wicket haul on Friday as he picked two crucial wickets of Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis. On the morning session of the 4th day, Ashwin picked another two wickets to rattle South Africa’s innings. He got Keshav Maharaj first and then trapped Kagiso Rabada for 15 runs as India secured a lead of 71 runs.
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Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin is just one wicket far to equal the world record of Muttiah Muralitharan of being the fastest to 350 Test wickets. Murali had achieved the feat in his 66th Test match back in 2001 against Bangladesh. Incidentally, Ashwin is also playing his 66th Test match and would be eager to get one more wicket to equal the world record.
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Moreover, Ravichandran Ashwin is also on the verge of breaking the record of Murali in terms of balls bowled to scalp 350 Test wickets. Murali had taken 3605.2 overs to take 350 Test wickets. Ashwin, on the other hand, has only bowled 3108.2 overs so far.
He will also break the record of Anil Kumble as India’s fastest bowler to pick 350 Test wicket. Kumble achieved the landmark in 77 Test matches whereas Ashwin is about to break this in 66 Test matches.
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Meanwhile, speaking about the game, India need only nine wickets more to go 1-0 up in the three-match Test series with 384 runs in hand.