Ind vs Eng 2021: Ravichandran Ashwin becomes the second fastest to take 400 Test wickets

India’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has become the second-fastest to take 400 Test wickets. Ashwin plumbed England’s Jofra Archer in front of the wickets to bag his 400th Test wicket, which was his third wicket of the innings. The talisman off-spinner has reached the milestone in 77 Test matches.

Ashwin broke former New Zealand all-rounder Richard Hadlee and South Africa’s gun fast bowler Dale Steyn’s record, both of whom had taken 80 Test matches to reach the milestone. Former Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan is the fastest to get to the landmark as he had reached 400 Test wickets in 72 Test matches.

Ashwin needed six wickets before the ongoing third Test match against England to reach 400 wickets. The off-spinner returned with 3-26 in the first innings whereas he scalped 4-48 in the second dig.

Ashwin had scalped the crucial wicket of Joe Root in the first innings whereas he dismissed dangerous-looking Ben Stokes in the second essay.

Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin has also become the fourth Indian bowler to take 400 Test wickets. He has joined the 400-club after former captain Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, and Harbhajan Singh. The spinner from Tamil Nadu has the best average among the top five leading India wicket-takers.

On the other hand, Ravichandran Ashwin is always a force to reckon with in the Indian conditions as he has an average of less than 22. The off-spinner has been in sublime form in the ongoing series as he has snared 24 wickets in three Test matches at a splendid average of 15.71. Furthermore, Ashwin had bagged 12 wickets in the three-Test matches against Australia.

Ashwin was right on the money in the second innings as India dismissed England for a meager score of 81 runs. Axar Patel took his third five-wicket haul as he bowled with great accuracy. Thus, India needs only 38 more runs (target 49) to win the third Test match.