Ace Indian off-spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin is only a wicket away from equalling the legendary Sri Lankan spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan’s record in Test match cricket of being the fastest to reach 350 Test wickets.
The 33-year-old Indian bowler has so far picked 349 wickets in as many as 66 Test matches for the country. Muralitharan, who has the highest number of wickets in Test match cricket at 800 wickets to his name, had also reached the 350 wicket mark in his 66th Test for Sri Lanka.
Former Indian legendary spinner Anil Kumble had taken as many as 77 matches to reach the 350 wickets mark. R Ashwin made his Test debut in 2011 and since then has been an integral part of the Indian squad especially in the longest format of the game.
It thus came as a surprise to many that he was left out of the Indian team against West Indies in which India managed to register a clean sweep and lead the ICC World Test Championship points tally with 120 points.
Ashwin would be the key to India’s game plan in the ongoing Test match against South Africa if India are indeed aiming for a win.