Mumbai: Records and Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin seem to go hand in hand. Though the off-spinner has stated time and again categorically that he doesn’t play for personal milestones, records seem to fall in his lap. Unknowingly to many, Ravichandran Ashwin had created another new record Sunday during the third day of the second Test between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium here.
The new record saw Ashwin take 50 or more wickets in a calendar year the most number of times. So far Ashwin has achieved the distinction four times in his career and it took him past Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, both of whom had done the same feat thrice in their career. Now Ashwin with four times has done it on the most number of occasions among Indian bowlers.
On the third day of the game Ashwin dismissed Tom Latham, Will Young and Ross Taylor. When he dismissed Young, he achieved the feat of 50 wickets or more in a calendar year in 2021. He added on to the kitty with the wickets of Taylor and Henry Nichols. Now he has 52 wickets for the 2021 calendar year. There is every possibility of him adding to the tally as India play their first Test against South Africa beginning December 26.
Here’s the list of Indian bowlers who have picked up 50 or more wickets in a calendar year:
Ravichandran Ashwin (2015, 2016, 2017, 2021*)
Anil Kumble (1999, 2004, 2006)
Harbhajan Singh (2001, 2002, 2008)
Kapil Dev (1979, 1983)
During the first Test in Kanpur last month, Ashwin went past Harbhajan to become India’s third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. He now needs another nine wickets to go past Kapil’s 434 Test wickets to become the second highest wicket-taker for India in the longest format of the game. However, to go past Anil Kumble’s record of 619 wickets (the highest for India), Ashwin will need a Herculean effort.