R Ashwin's all-round record is expected to hit the headlines once again in February 2023, if he takes his 450th Test wicket against the touring Australian team
With a flurry of boundaries against Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ravichandran Ashwin put the finishing touches on Bangladesh's tense chase, giving cricket-crazy India the ideal Christmas present. At 74/7, needing to reach a small goal of 145, India was on the verge of an embarrassing loss before Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer helped them win in Mirpur.
An important milestone that Ashwin reached in the first innings of the Mirpur Test was eclipsed by his remarkable second inning performance. In the third session of day two, Ashwin hit Bangladesh skipper Shakib al Hasan for a four, marking the completion of 3,000 Test runs.
After Dev, Ashwin was the only other Indian to score 3,000 runs and take 400 wickets in a single Test. Only four other cricketers have achieved this accomplishment to date: Sir Richard Hadlee, the late Shane Warne, Shaun Pollock, and Stuart Broad.
Ravichandran Ashwin's batting show was pivotal in India beating Bangladesh in the 2nd Test.
When he capped off the tense chase against Bangladesh in style by hitting a barrage of boundaries against Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ravichandran Ashwin handed cricket-crazy India the ideal Christmas present. At 74/7, needing to reach a small goal of 145, India was on the verge of an embarrassing loss before Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer helped them win in Mirpur.
In addition, Ashwin (88 Tests) is the second-fastest to the milestone behind Hadlee (83 Tests), who did so. When he took his 400th wicket in his 115th Test, his fellow countryman Dev accomplished the feat.
If Ashwin captures his 450th Test wicket against the visiting Australian squad in February 2023, his all-round record is predicted to make headlines once more. He will then join Warne and Broad in having taken 450 Test wickets and scored 3,000 runs. He will, however, be unmatched as a modern all-rounder.
Ashwin's stats
The statistical similarities between Ashwin and Hadlee are quite striking. Like Hadlee, Ashwin is considered a ‘bowling all-rounder'. While Hadlee had 431 wickets in 86 Tests, Ashwin had 442 in the same number of matches. Both players also have a lot of fifers and 10-fours against their names – Hadlee's 36 fifers and nine 10-fos as against Ashwin's 30 fifers and seven 10-wicket hauls. Ashwin has scored 3,043 runs at an average of 27.41, while Hadlee ended his career with 3,124 runs at an average of 27.17.
The off-spinner can surpass Muttiah Muralitharan in February 2023 to rank second among bowlers with 450 wickets most quickly. The other two bowlers in the "450 wicket-3,000 run club," Warne and Broad, are not even close. Additionally, for them to be considered all-rounders, their batting averages must be much below 20.
Despite a considerable batting dip since 2017, Ashwin is predicted to be the first to join the "450 wicket-3,000 run club" quickly. The off-spinner played 71 innings while completing 2,000 Test runs, faster than Hadlee, Khan, and Pollock but five innings slower than Botham and one inning longer than Dev. Ashwin might have easily surpassed Hadlee's all-round record had he kept up or improved his batting statistics after reaching this milestone.
However, cricket, particularly Test cricket, is not just about flashy numbers and individual accomplishments. The law of averages can be brutal for many cricketers whose contributions go much beyond simple numbers and stats can be deceiving. Technique, Temperament, and Tenacity, or the Three Ts, are essential for success in cricket. Ashwin demonstrates that he possesses all three on a regular basis.
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