Ashwin Becomes First Indian to Take 30 Wickets in a Series, Twice
R Ashwin becomes the only Indian bowler to have claimed 30 or more wickets in a Test series twice.
R Ashwin dismissed Joe Root in the fourth innings of the fourth Test match against England to claim his 30th wicket of the series. This made him the only Indian bowler to have claimed thirty or more wickets in a Test series twice.
His first 30 wicket haul in a series came against South Africa in 2015/16, when he took 31 wickets in just 7 mere innings. His best bowling figure in an innings against South Africa was 7/66 and his best bowling figure in a match was 12/98. He was also awarded the Player of the Series for his endeavours.
Ashwin has played a vital role in executing Kohli’s vision. In the series against England, Ashwin has taken 30 wickets in eight innings which includes two fifers. Ashwin also claimed his 400th Test wicket when he trapped Jofra Archer lbw on Day 2 of the 3rd Test vs England. The only player to have taken 400 wickets faster than Ashwin in Test cricket is Muttiah Muralitharan.
Along with Axar Patel, Ashwin helped India come back firmly into the series after being down by 1-0. The duo has tallied a total of 55 wickets in the three Test matches they have played together and utterly dominated the English batsman. Both the spinners will remember the third Test match and the first ever Test match played at the Narendra Modi Stadium where they helped restrict England for 112 and 81 in the first and second innings, respectively.
Other Indian players to have taken thirty or more wickets in a Test series include: Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh, SP Gupte, BS Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar, and MH Mankad.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)