R Ashwin Creates WTC History, Becomes First Player In World To...

October 01,2024

Ashwin has been on a roll in the ongoing two-match Test series against Bangladesh. After a Player of the Match performance in the first Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium that saw India win by 280 runs, he turned out to be a nightmare for Bangladesh in the second Test as well. Ashwin took two wickets in the first innings and made a significant contribution to help India bowl out Bangladesh for 233. Rain took significant time out of the game and India were left with just about two days to force a result. With crucial WTC points at stake, India had to take the onus of pushing for a win. After bowling out Bangladesh pretty quickly on Day 4, India came out all guns blazing with the bat and scored 285-9 in 34.4 overs to take a healthy lead. Ashwin then put India on top by taking the two wickets to fall in Bangladesh's second innings on Day 4. As things stand, Bangladesh are 29-2 in the second innings, trailing by 26 runs.

R Ashwin Creates History

The wickets helped Ashwin create a unique record in the World Test Championship (WTC). Ashwin became the first bowler in the world to take 50 or more wickets in each of the three WTC cycles. Ashwin reached the milestone after he dismissed Shakib Al Hasan in the first innings of the Test. Ashwin dismissed 71 batters in 14 matches of the 2019-21 WTC cycle while he got rid of 61 batters in 13 matches in the 2021-2023 cycle. He has taken 52 wickets in 10 matches in the current edition. Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins and, Tim Southee have taken 50 or more wickets in two out of the three editions of WTC.

YearMatchesWicketsBest Figures
2019-2114717/145
2021-2313616/91
2023-2510*50*7/71
Total37*182*7/71

R Ashwin On Cusp Of Massive WTC Record

Meanwhile, Ashwin's WTC wickets tally has reached 184 and he is now four wickets away from leapfrogging Nathan Lyon to become the leading wicket-taker in the WTC. Lyon currently sits at the top with 187 wickets in 43 matches.