Chennai: Ashwin picks wickets at over five a Test match which is much higher than Kumble’s 4.68 and Harbhajan Singh’s 3.95. Both Kumble (619) and Harbhajan (417) are India’s two top wicket-takers but they both lag behind Ashwin when it comes to strike rate as well as average.
If India off-spinner R Ashwin ends up playing 100 Test matches — the current Test is his 76th — he might end up with over 500 wickets and become India’s second highest wicket-taker in Test cricket behind leg-spinner Anil Kumble. And if the 34-year-old manages to play as many as 132 Tests that Anil Kumble played, there is every likelihood that he would end up as the highest wicket-taker for India.
At the moment, he is fourth in the list of top wicket-takers behind Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434)and Harbhajan Singh (417).
Ashwin picks wickets at over five a Test match which is much higher than Kumble’s 4.68 and Harbhajan Singh’s 3.95. Both Kumble (619) and Harbhajan (417) are India’s two top wicket-takers but they both lag behind Ashwin when it comes to strike rate as well as average.
The current India off-spinner’s strike rate of 53.6 and average of 25.27 is much better than those of Kumble (SR: 65.9; Avg: 29.65) and Harbhajan (SR: 68.5; Avg: 32.46).
There can be debate on the quality of batsmen or the pitches he has bowled on as compared to the other two with experts having differing views but the fact that he is going to be an all-time great bowler for India is never in doubt.
Ashwin already has 29 five-wicket hauls after taking two in the series so far. He is in line for a third five-wicket haul in the two Tests if he takes another four wickets in England’s second innings.
Only Anil Kumble among Indian spinners have more five-wicket hauls than him. Kumble has 35 five-wicket hauls.
Former India captain Gautam Gambhir called R Ashwin as India’s greatest match-winner after Kumble.
“He always goes under the radar a little bit, because there are players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah. What he has done in Test cricket for India is unbelievable,” said Gambhir on Star Sports.
