Ravichandran Ashwin joins Shane Warne for most five-wicket hauls in 1st IND vs BAN 2024 Test
India's ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin broke many records during his incredible performance in the first fixture of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh in Chennai. He pipped Richard Hadlee to join Shane Warne for the most five-wicket hauls in the longest format. The fixture saw the Indian team secure a dominating 280-run victory over the Tigers.
In the second innings, Ashwin finished with figures of 6/88 to grab his 37th five-wicket haul, the second most in the format. He got past Hadlee's record of 36 five-wicket hauls and now shares the record with Shane Warne, who also grabbed a fifer on 37 occasions.
Former Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is at the top of the list with 67 five-wicket hauls to his name. Meanwhile, Anil Kumble is fifth on the list with 35 fifers in Tests.
Ravichandran Ashwin got past Courtney Walsh for the all-time highest wicket-takers in Tests. So far, he has scalped 522 wickets in 101 appearances and is eighth on the list.
The first innings of the fixture saw Ashwin slam a century and stitch a 199-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja. Their partnership helped Team India recover from 144/6 to post 376 on the board. With this performance, the 38-year-old became the first player to score a century and take a five-wicket haul on the same venue twice. Earlier, Ashwin hit a century and took a fifer against England in Chennai in February 2021.
Rohit Sharma lauds Ravichandran Ashwin's all-round performance in IND vs BAN 1st Test
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma appreciated Ravichandran Ashwin's all-round contributions in the first Test against Bangladesh. As per Sharma, batting up the order in the Tamil Nadu Premier League helped Ashwin to work on his batting skills. Here's what he said at the post-match conference:
"Every time we look up to him, he's always there for us whether with the bat or ball. I don't know if I speak here, it'll be enough of what he does for this team. Every time we see him come out and do the job, it's always so brilliant. He's never out of the game." [H/t Cricbuzz]
Sharma added:
"The last competitive cricket he played was IPL and then he had some fun playing TNPL. We watched him bat up the order and that's what helped him as well to bat the way he did."
Rohit Sharm and Co. will meet Bangladesh in the second and final fixture of the Test series on September 27 in Kanpur.