Ravichandran Ashwin became the first player to take 100 wickets in World Test Championship.© BCCI
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin achieved yet another feat on Monday as India defeated Sri Lanka in the second and final Test by 238 runs in Bengaluru. Ashwin, who picked six wickets (2 for 30; 4 for 55) in the match, became the first player to take 100 wickets in World Test Championship (WTC). Ashwin, who had ended up as the highest wicket-taker with 71 wickets in 14 matches during the last WTC cycle, has already bagged 29 wickets in seven matches so far in the ongoing cycle, taking his tally to 100 in 21 games. Thus, becoming the first cricketer to achieve a century of wickets in WTC.
Ashwin is sixth in the current list of top wicket-takers in this WTC cycle, which is topped by his teammate Jasprit Bumrah (40).
Ashwin also surpassed former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn’s tally of 439 Test wickets to become the 8th highest wicket-taker in the history of the longest format on Day 3 of the pink-ball Test on Monday.
The 35-year-old now trails the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708), and James Anderson (640*), Anil Kumble (619), Glenn McGrath (563), Stuart Broad (537) and Courtney Walsh (519).
However, he is third among current active players, behind England pacers Anderson and Broad.
Ashwin is also India’s second-highest wicket-taker after the legendary Kumble.
Promoted
In the first Test match of the series in Mohali, Ashwin had overtaken former India captain Kapil Dev’s tally of 434 wickets to become country’s second-highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket.
Overall, Ashwin has taken 442 Test wickets in 86 matches, including 30 five-fors and seven 10-wicket hauls.
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