India’s top-ranked test bowler Ravichandran Ashwin will spearhead India’s spin attack in the two-match test series against Bangladesh, starting on Thursday, September 19. The first match is being played at Ashwin’s home ground, MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, while the second test will take place at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur from September 27.
Ashwin, fresh off his successful series against England earlier this year, will be crucial to India’s chances in this series. As the veteran cricketer turns 38 on September 17, he stands on the brink of breaking several significant records.
Here are five records Ravichandran Ashwin can potentially surpass in this series:
1. Most Wickets in the World Test Championship (WTC)
Ashwin currently has 174 wickets from 35 WTC matches and he needs just 14 more wickets to surpass Nathan Lyon’s tally of 187 and become the leading wicket-taker in the WTC history.
2. Most Wickets in India-Bangladesh Tests
Having taken 23 wickets in six tests against Bangladesh, Ashwin needs nine more dismissals to surpass Zaheer Khan’s record of 31 wickets in India-Bangladesh test matches.
3. Most Five-Wicket Hauls in the WTC
Ashwin has taken 10 five-wicket hauls in 34 WTC matches so far. One more five-wicket haul in the series will give him the record for the most fifers in the WTC history, breaking his current tie with Nathan Lyon.
4. Most Wickets in the WTC 2023-25 Cycle
With 42 wickets in the ongoing WTC cycle, Ashwin requires 10 more wickets to overtake Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, who leads with 51 wickets, and secure the top spot for the most wickets in the current WTC cycle.
5. Most Wickets on Indian Soil
Ashwin has 455 wickets across all the formats in matches played in India. By taking 22 more wickets in the series, he would surpass Anil Kumble’s record of 476 international wickets on Indian soil.
Additional Milestones
Ashwin who has 516 test wickets is also closing in on Courtney Walsh’s 519 wickets and Nathan Lyon’s 530 wickets in the all-time list of leading test wicket-takers. He needs just four wickets to surpass Walsh and 15 wickets to go past Lyon.
With two more five-wicket hauls, Ashwin can also break Shane Warne’s record of 37 test fifers, taking the No. 2 position on the all-time list behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (67).
Ashwin’s ability to achieve these records will be key to India’s performance in the series and could further solidify his status as one of the greatest spinners in test cricket. Well, we are pretty sure that he will able to break all these records in the Bangladesh series, what do you think?
