Ahmedabad, February 25: R Ashwin scaled another milestone on the second day of the third Test against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Thursday (February 25). He went past 400 wickets in Test cricket, the fourth Indian bowler to achieve the feat. The momentous moment came when Ashwin trapped Jofra Archer plumb in front of the wicket.
Kapil Dev (434) was the first Indian bowler to attain this feat followed by Anil Kumble (619) and Harbhajan Singh (417). Ashwin is also the quickest Indian bowler to reach the landmark in just 77 Tests. The 34-year-old off-spinner from Tamil Nadu is also the 16th bowler overall to go past the 400-barrier in Test cricket.
Ashwin is also the second fastest ever to the 400-mark after Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan, who ended his career with a world record 800 Test wickets. Muralitharan went past 400 wickets in just 72 Tests.
Ashwin came into prominence through the Indian Premier League and initially viewed as a white ball specialist. His early days in Test cricket, especially while playing away from home, was not really encouraging but the offie worked hard on his craft over the years and turned a corner since 2015-16 season, taking a heap of wickets. His outings on pitches abroad too began to improve in this time.
Ashwin has always been viewed as an all-rounder who can contribute some healthy score down the order, and his five Test hundreds offer testimony too. However, Ashwin the batsman went down the hill in the last couple of years before rediscovering the touch with a match-saving gritty knock at Sydney.
He then made a hundred at his home ground in Chennai earlier this month, announcing the return of the batsman in him. He also harrowed England batsmen throughout this series as they had little replies to his guile and variations.
Now, the 400 Test wickets has come as a fine icing on the cake, a just reward for a true champion cricketer.