Ravichandran Ashwin is like flowing water. Always changing, always moving, taking in stuff as he goes, not always running clear, growing and then sometimes rapidly changing course too. He is hard to predict and few would dare cross him.

The bowler we see today is markedly different from the one who made his Test debut in 2011, and one isn’t just talking from the fitness point of view. Rather, here’s a guy who’s learned to look past his physical drawbacks and focus purely on the positive; focus purely on the art.

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As the off-spinner went past Kapil Dev in the all-time wicket-takers tally, he would have been particularly pleased. That number, 434, is one that so many of us grew up cherishing – it was the peak. Just as Gavaskar’s total of 10,122 runs was forever embedded in our minds, so was Kapil’s tally. Two Indians standing on the very top of world cricket and given that Ashwin has a feel for history, it would have no doubt felt special.

It wasn’t just Kapil he went by either. Hadlee and Herath also fell by the wayside and, now, only eight bowlers have now taken more wickets than Ashwin in the history of the game.

Player Span Mat Wkts Ave SR 5 10
M Muralitharan (ICC/SL) 1992-2010 133 800 22.72 55.0 67 22
SK Warne (AUS) 1992-2007 145 708 25.41 57.4 37 10
JM Anderson (ENG) 2003-2022 169 640 26.58 56.8 31 3
A Kumble (INDIA) 1990-2008 132 619 29.65 65.9 35 8
GD McGrath (AUS) 1993-2007 124 563 21.64 51.9 29 3
SCJ Broad (ENG) 2007-2022 152 537 27.80 56.9 19 3
CA Walsh (WI) 1984-2001 132 519 24.44 57.8 22 3
DW Steyn (SA) 2004-2019 93 439 22.95 42.3 26 5
R Ashwin (INDIA) 2011-2022 85 436 24.26 52.5 30 7
N Kapil Dev (INDIA) 1978-1994 131 434 29.64 63.9 23 2
HMRKB Herath (SL) 1999-2018 93 433 28.07 60.0 34 9
Sir RJ Hadlee (NZ) 1973-1990 86 431 22.29 50.8 36 9
Stats courtesy: ESPNCricinfo

Ashwin isn’t driven by the landmarks. He appreciates them. But still, to keep getting better; to keep flowing, one needs a goal... and that is what Anil Kumble would now represent.

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Kumble’s tally of 619 wickets seems a fair distance away but if Ashwin can get on a roll and stay fit... one never knows. The off-spinner takes 5.13 wickets per match at the moment and if he can keep up that rate, he would need 4-5 good years of Test cricket to catch up with Kumble.

No one else in world cricket has come close to Ashwin’s strike-rate in recent times and that is saying something.

Highest Average Wickets per Match

Player Country Career Mat Wkts Avg   Best 5w 10w WPM
1 S F Barnes England 1901-1914 27 189 16.43 9/103 24 7 7.00
2 J J Ferris England 1887-1892 9 61 12.70 7/37 6 1 6.78
3 T Richardson England 1893-1898 14 88 25.23 8/94 11 4 6.29
4 G A Lohmann England 1886-1896 18 112 10.76 9/28 9 5 6.22
5 M Muralitharan Sri Lanka 1992-2010 133 800 22.73 9/51 67 22 6.02
6 C T B Turner Australia 1887-1895 17 101 16.53 7/43 11 2 5.94
7 C V Grimmett Australia 1925-1936 37 216 24.22 7/40 21 7 5.84
8 J V Saunders Australia 1902-1908 14 79 22.73 7/34 6 0 5.64
9 A P Freeman England 1924-1929 12 66 25.86 7/71 5 3 5.50
10 W J O'Reilly Australia 1932-1946 27 144 22.60 7/54 11 3 5.33
11 H Ironmonger Australia 1928-1933 14 74 17.97 7/23 4 2 5.29
12 C Blythe England 1901-1910 19 100 18.63 8/59 9 4 5.26
13 F R Spofforth Australia 1877-1887 18 94 18.41 7/44 7 4 5.22
14 R Ashwin* India 2011- 85 436 24.27 7/59 30 7 5.13
Stats courtesy Howstat.com

Still the task ahead of Ashwin is not easy. He is already 35 and playing for another 4-5 years will demand a great effort from him. Kumble’s age at the time of retirement was 37 and a finger injury helped him make that decision.

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“The body was asking questions every day,” Kumble had then said. “It was not easy to keep bowling the way I have been bowling the last 18 years, to keep going. The injury I had on the third day probably helped me make the decision.”

For Ashwin, the challenge is double. He has his fitness issues to deal with and he hasn’t always been India’s first-choice spinner in ‘away’ Tests. So while the home season means a lot of wickets, the away gains are limited by the fewer playing opportunities.

Will a change in captaincy though, lead to a change in that area too? Ravindra Jadeja obviously lends a better balance to the side but Ashwin is clearly the better spinner. So what will Rohit Sharma want more?

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“I have been watching Ashwin for a long time now and he seems to get better and better,” said Rohit Sharma after India’s big win in the first Test against Sri Lanka. “Ashwin is one of those players who always has confidence in their ability. He played a crucial innings with the bat as well. Put on a big crucial partnership with Jadeja too.”

Rohit added: “I can’t tell you why Ashwin didn’t find a place in the overseas Test as I was not captain and don’t know the reasoning behind the decision. So I can’t shed any light on that.”

But in a rather ironic way, the improved batting might help Ashwin get into the playing XI away from home too. Not his bowling but instead, his consistent batting.

These questions, though, are perhaps better saved for when India start to travel again and for now, we can celebrate a cricketer whose pursuit of excellence is second to none.