Rajkot (Gujarat): Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday became the overall second-fastest after legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan to take 500 wickets.
Ashwin, who hails from Tamil Nadu, took 98 matches to achieve this feat while Muralitharan had taken 87 matches.
He has also become the fastest Indian bowler to pick 500 Test wickets. The only other Indian to take 500 or more Test wickets to his name is legendary leg-spinner, Anil Kumble. Kumble has a whopping tally of 619 Test wickets from 132 matches.
Ashwin reached this landmark with the wicket of Zak Crawley during the third Test match between India and England being played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot here. He reached the milestone on the second day of the ongoing Test.
With this, the 37-year-old became the overall fifth spinner to bag 500 Test wickets after Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Anil Kumble, late Australian leg spinner Shane Warne (708) and Australia's Nathan Lyon (517).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated veteran spinner for his massive achievement. Modi took to X, formerly known as Twitter and wrote, "Congratulations to Ravichandran Ashwin on the extraordinary milestone of taking 500 Test wickets! His journey and accomplishments are testament to his skill and perseverance. My best wishes to him as he scales further peaks."
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar also appreciated him for his stupendous achievement by posting Ashwin's picture and wrote, "500 Test wickets for a one-in-a-million bowler! In AshWIN the SpinNER, there was always a WINNER. 500 wickets is a huge milestone in Test cricket. Congratulations, Champion!"
Also, he took 25,714 balls to complete 500 Test wickets which is the second-fewest in Test cricket. Glenn McGrath took only 25528 deliveries in Tests to scalps 500 wickets. Also, Ashwin is the only ninth bowler to take 500 wickets in 97th red-ball fixture. In his first 16 Test matches, Ashwin has picked nine five-wicket hauls and also became quickest to the 300 wickets club.
In the second Test at Visakhapatnam, England batter Joe Root became Ashwin's 499th Test wicket after he gave a sitter to Axar Patel. Ashwin has been the wrecker-in-chief for India in Test matches at home and has been a champion performer for his country.
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