On Thursday (14th November) afternoon, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reached a new milestone and that too in a joint-fastest way. Ashwin is now the joint-fastest bowler (according to the number of matches) to complete 250 Test wickets at home.
The Indian national cricket team is currently busy in the first Test of the two-match home Test series against Bangladesh at Holkar Stadium (Indore). The Indore Test has begun on Thursday where Bangladesh have decided to bat first after winning the toss.
Ahead of this Test match, Ravichandran Ashwin was just one wicket away to complete his 250 Test wickets at home. The ongoing match is Ashwin’s 42nd Test match at home and he completed his 250 Test wickets at home after dismissing the new Test captain of Bangladesh, Mominul Haque.
Bangladesh lost their first three wickets in just 31 runs. Then, the skipper Mominul Haque and the experienced batsman Mushfiqur Rahim put a very crucial 68-run partnership for the fourth wicket. In the second session of the day one of this Test match, Ashwin took his first wicket of this match as he bowled the set batsman Mominul Haque. Before losing his wicket, the Bangladesh Test captain scored 37 runs off 80 balls.
Ravichandran Ashwin equalled the record of Muttiah Muralitharan
It was the 250th Test wicket at home for Ravichandran Ashwin and he reached this milestone in 42 home Tests. It is the joint-fastest (in terms of the number of Test matches) record of 250 home Test wickets.
Earlier, the legendary Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was lonely holding the record of fastest 250 Test wickets at home as he also took 42 home Tests to achieve this feat. But now, Ashwin has taken the same position.
Fastest bowlers to claim 250 Test wickets at home
| Player (Team) | No. of matches to complete 250 home Test wickets | Total Test wickets at home |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) | 42 | 493 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (India) | 42 | 251* |
| Anil Kumble (India) | 43 | 350 |
| Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka) | 44 | 278 |
| Dale Steyn (South Africa) | 49 | 261 |
| Harbhajan Singh (India) | 51 | 265 |
| Shane Warne (Australia) | 56 | 319 |
| Glenn McGrath (Australia) | 56 | 289 |
| James Anderson (England) | 58 | 368 |
| Stuart Broad (England) | 63 | 305 |
(Special Note: Ravichandran Ashwin’s 42nd home Test match is still running)
Also, Ravichandran Ashwin became the third Indian bowler and 10th overall bowler to claim 250 Test wickets at home. After the former leg-spinner Anil Kumble (350 wickets) and the veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (265 wickets), Ashwin became the third Indian to scalp 250 Test wickets at home.
Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin became the sixth spinner to take 250 Test wickets at home.