He is India’s premier strike bowler without a doubt. Be it One-Day Internationals, Twenty20 Internationals or Test matches, Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the major reasons behind India’s recent wins. In the recently concluded tour of the West Indies, Ashwin also scored 235 runs, which includes two centuries, and claimed 17 wickets to help India win the four-match series 2-0. In the process, he bagged his sixth Man-of-the-Series award, the most by any Indian in the longer format. He needed just 36 Test matches and 13 series to achieve this feat.
With 193 Test wickets in 36 matches, Ashwin is seven shy of reaching the magical 200 mark and going past legendary fast bowlers Dennis Lillee and Waqar Younis as the second fastest to the landmark. Lillee and Younis needed 38 Test matches to claim 200 wickets. Ashwin thus has the chance to better the record in the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand. Armed with an array of deliveries, the most potent being the carom ball, Ashwin will play a prime role in India’s home series against New Zealand, England and Australia this season.
Even in the Indian Premier League, Ashwin has made his mark by taking 100 wickets in 111 matches with an economy rate of 6.56.
Ashwin doesn’t disappoint with the bat as well and has scored 1,439 Test runs, including four hundreds. Even in ODIs, Ashwin can pace his innings according to the need of the situation and can play the aggressive brand of cricket if required.
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