Ravichandran Ashwin has established himself one of the modern-day greats. Time and again he has proved his mettle, and continues to be one of the prized assets of the Indian cricket team. On Sunday, he became the first bowler to pick 50 wickets in Test cricket in 2021. Moreover, this was the fourth time in his career that he achieved this feat in a calendar year.
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So far, Ashwin has taken seven wickets in the ongoing second Test against New Zealand in Mumbai. Overall, he has a total of 426 scalps to his credit which makes him the third-highest wicket taker for India, after former captains Anil Kumble (619) and Kapil Dev (434).
The record of most wickets in the longest format of the game belongs to Sri Lanka’s legendary Muttiah Muralitharan with 800 scalps. Former India allrounder and batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes that Ashwin can break that long-standing record if the offspinner manages to remain fit.
Speaking with Star Sports, Bangar opined that Ashwin can challenge Muralitharan’s record.
“He can challenge Muralitharan’s record if he remains fit for a long time because Muttiah Muralitharan has himself said that if someone can break his record, it is Ravichandran Ashwin,” Bangar told Star Sports.
“The way he bowls and bowls the long spells and we have seen of late that it is his second wing because he has made a comeback in T20 cricket as well. He has concentrated more on his off-spin while playing Test cricket. So, I feel the indications are good that he might cross that milestone as well,” he added.
Ashwin is set to reach another feat in his illustrious career. He is one scalp away from completing 300 wickets at home. During the Kanpur Test last week, he also surpassed Harbhajan Singh’s tally of 417 wickets.
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