Ravichandran Ashwin further enhanced his reputation as one of the best spinners of his generation by entering the 500-wicket club on Friday (February 16). The off-spinner achieved the incredible feat on day two of the ongoing third Test between India and England in Rajkot.
He achieved the feat by dismissing England opener Zak Crawley in the final session of the day. India were in desperate need of a breakthrough after England openers gave their team another solid start and Ravichandran Ashwin came to the team’s rescue. As soon as Rajat Patidar took the catch at short fine leg to send back Crawley, the veteran spinner became only the second Indian bowler to take 500 Test wickets.
The first Indian bowler to achieve the feat was the legendary Anil Kumble. Among active cricketers, only James Anderson and Nathan Lyon have more wickets than the Tamil Nadu ace. After achieving the incredible milestone, Ravichandran Ashwin addressed the media at the post-day press conference and talked about his cricketing journey.
Ravichandran Ashwin, the accidental spinner:
Speaking to the media, Ravichandran Ashwin stated that taking 500 wickets in Tests is not a bad achievement for ‘an accidental spinner’. He revealed that he always wanted to become a batter before his career changed once he performed well for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
“Not bad. Not a bad achievement. I was an accidental spinner,” said Ravichandran Ashwin.
“I wanted to be a batter all along. Life gave me a chance, and when I walked into the CSK dressing room, Muttiah Muralitharan didn’t want to bowl with the new ball, and eventually I got tossed the new ball.
“First-class career was pretty good, but nevertheless, the stage in the IPL made me visible to a lot of people, and I eventually got my Test debut. People doubted whether I could be a Test bowler, and yeah, 10-13 years later, not bad. Not a bad achievement, so I’m pretty glad,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the remainder of the ongoing Test due to a medical emergency in his family. He will not take any further part in the game. Talking about the game, England were on 207 for 2 at the end of day two’s play. Earlier in the game, India scored 445 runs in the first innings.
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