Ravichandran Ashwin becomes third Indian with 700 international wickets: Stats
Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has completed 700 wickets in international cricket. The senior off-spinner unlocked this achievement on Day 1 of the 1st Test against West Indies at Windsor Park, Dominica. Ashwin dismissed Alzarri Joseph to take his milestone wicket. Notably, the former has become just the third Indian to enter the 700-wicket club across formats. Here are the key stats.
Why does this story matter?
Taking 700 wickets in international cricket is no mean feat. Over 475 of these scalps have come in Test cricket. Ashwin is also a handy batter down the order in the format. Although Ashwin majorly operates in red-ball cricket, his prowess with the white ball can't be discounted. He has raced to 700 international wickets over two years after he reached the 600-wicket mark.
Third Indian with this feat
As stated, Ashwin is just the third Indian to complete 700 international wickets. Former spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh are the only other Indians with this feat. Kumble remains India's leading wicket-taker in international cricket (956), while Harbhajan follows him with 711 scalps. Ashwin recently surpassed legend Kapil Dev's record of taking 687 wickets across formats.
A look at the notable stats
Ashwin has taken his 700th international wicket in his 271st career match. He is one of only two Indians to have taken over 450 wickets in Test cricket, the other being Kumble (619). Besides taking over 470 Test wickets, the off-spinner has accounted for 151 wickets in ODI cricket. He also owns 72 wickets from 65 T20 Internationals.
A dream start to Test cricket
Ashwin made his Test debut in 2011 against West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. He finished with nine wickets as India claimed a five-wicket victory. With this, Ashwin became just the third Indian to claim the Player of the Match award on Test debut. He finished the series as the leading wicket-taker (22) and was named Player of the Series for the same.
Fastest Indian to 100, 200, and 300 Test wickets
Two years after his debut, Ashwin plundered his 100th scalp in Test cricket, becoming the fastest Indian to attain the feat (18 matches). In 2016, Ashwin became the fastest Indian to take 200 Test wickets (37 matches), eclipsing Harbhajan's record (46). He scripted history a year later as he became the fastest-ever to complete 300 Test wickets (54 matches).
Fastest Indian to 400 Test wickets
In February 2021, Ashwin became the fastest Indian to 400 Test wickets (77) and the second-fastest overall after Muttiah Muralitharan (72). He became only the fourth Indian after Kumble, Kapil, and Harbhajan to complete 400 Test wickets.
Ashwin has been ruling the roost
Ashwin has truly ruled the roost after bursting into international cricket (June 5, 2010). He is the only bowler to take 700 wickets across formats ever since. The next-best spinner in this regard is Australia's Nathan Lyon (526). Notably, Ashwin has also been the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests since his debut in the format (November 6, 2011). He trails only Lyon on this list.
First Indian to dismiss father-son duo in international cricket
Ashwin added another feather to his cap on Day 1 in Dominica after dismissing Tagenarine Chanderpaul, the son of WI legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The Indian spinner got rid of the latter during the 2011 series. With this, Ashwin has become the first Indian to dismiss the father-son duo in international cricket. Mitchell Starc and Simon Harmer have also dismissed the Caribbean father-son duo.
