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India’s veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin achieved a rare milestone of 500 Test wickets on Friday. He became only the second Indian bowler after former skipper Anil Kumble to get to the feat. During the third Test against England in Rajkot, Ashwin dismissed England opener Zak Crawley for the historic achievement. He also became only the third off-spinner to claim 500 or more Test wickets and continues to be the second highest wicket-taker for India behind Kumble, who ended his career with 619 scalps.
Here is how the internet reacted to Ashwin’s achievement:
Take A Bow, R Ashwin
Follow the match https://t.co/FM0hVG5pje#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @ashwinravi99 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/XOAfL0lYmA
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 16, 2024
Ashwin becomes the second Indian to reach 500 wickets in men’s Tests pic.twitter.com/KYHwfNhdh9
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) February 16, 2024
500 Test wickets for a one-in-a-million bowler!
In AshWIN the SpinNER, there was always a WINNER. 500 wickets is a huge milestone in Test cricket. Congratulations, Champion!#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/Cb48ZJE3XO
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 16, 2024
A champion bowler who never stops to learn. Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on this monumental achievement! Wonderful to see another Indian spinner joining the club.#Ashwin #IndvEng
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) February 16, 2024
From Chennai to the cricketing cosmos, @ashwinravi99‘s journey to 500 Test wickets is a saga of grit, guile, and unrivaled skill. A monumental achievement that cements his legacy in the annals of cricketing history.
Bravo, Ashwin!#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/R7hNC7QV9M
— DK (@DineshKarthik) February 16, 2024
The SECOND-FASTEST bowler to 500 Test wickets
Ash Anna pic.twitter.com/gd6D9liZrS
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) February 16, 2024
The only other off-spinners who have touched the 500 wickets mark are retired Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralidaran (800) and Australia’s Nathan Lyon (517), who did it last year.
Overall, Ashwin is only the ninth bowler to take 500 wickets in the traditional format, scaling the landmark in his 97th Test.
Having made his Test debut in 2011, Ashwin has come a long way.
The engineering graduate from Chennai started out as a top-order batter and tried his hand at medium pace bowling before settling for the role of an off-spinner, a decision that was forced by a back injury during his teenage years.
Following the Kumble and Harbhajan Singh era, Ashwin had big shoes to fill and he has done that with remarkable consistency.
In his first 16 Tests, Ashwin snared nine five-wicket hauls and became the fastest to the 300 wickets club.
Ashwin has also proved his worth in the shorter formats, having played 116 ODIS for his 156 wickets in the format. He has 72 wickets in 65 T20 International appearances.
(With PTI Inputs)
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