[Watch] Rajasthan Royals honor Ravichandran Ashwin for 500 Test wickets ahead of IPL 2024
Rajasthan Royals (RR) recently honored senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for his spectacular achievement in Test cricket. He became only the second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble (619) to scalp 500 wickets in Test cricket. He achieved the feat during the five-match home Test series against England.
Ashwin joined the RR contingent only a couple of days before to begin his preparation for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Much to his surprise, the franchise planned to honor him for the landmark during a team bonding session.
In a video shared by Rajasthan Royals on social media, skipper Sanju Samson was seen presenting Ashwin with an RR jersey with 500 written on the back. The entire team stood up to acknowledge the off-spinner's achievement in the longest format of the game.
Watch the clip here:
Ravichandran Ashwin picked up the 500th scalp during the third Test between India and England in Rajkot. He dismissed English opener Zak Crawley to reach the landmark.
He is the ninth bowler in the world to achieve the feat and the second-fastest, reaching the milestone in 98 Tests. Former Sri Lankan skipper Muttiah Muralitharan is the fastest to scale 500 Test wickets, attaining the record in 87 games.
"Arey bhai insaan hai" - Rohit Sharma lauds Ravichandran Ashwin for his outstanding achievements in international cricket
The Tamil Nadu-born off-spinner had a rollercoaster run during the five-match Test series against England. While he played his 100th Test and picked up 500 wickets during the series, Ravichandran Ashwin also had to face a medical emergency, with his mother admitted to the hospital during the third Test.
Despite all his problems off the field, the lanky spinner gave his best every time he entered the ground. He also finished as the highest wicket-taker in the series with 26 scalps at an average of 24.80.
Rohit Sharma lauded Ashwin for his stellar record in a recent video, which was uploaded by team45ro on Instagram.
"His career speaks for itself. Look at the number of Man of the Match, Man of the Series he has got," Rohit said. "Whenever he plays in India, or outside the amount of pressure he has to take. In one innings if he does not take wickets, people start talking, 'this is happening. That is happening.'
"Arey bhai insaan hai, he is also trying his best. Imagine for him to come out on top every time, series after series, says a lot about what kind of bowler he is," he added.
Ravichandran Ashwin will next be seen in action when he turns up for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024. The Royals will begin their campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday, March 24.