Nagpur: Veteran India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin scalped his 450th Test wicket in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. During Day 1 of the first Test, Ashwin got to the landmark in the second session of the day when he clean bowled Alex Carey.
With this dismissal, Ashwin became the fastest Indian to reach 450 wickets, getting to the landmark in 89 Tests. He broke Anil Kumble's record who is the only other player from India to reach that milestone, ending with a total of 619 Test scalps in his career. Overall, the 36-year-old is the second-fastest bowler in world cricket to the 450-wicket mark only behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan who had got to that feat in his 80th Test match.
Prior to the start of the Test match, there was plenty of talk about the pitch which would be on offer. As expected, the wicket did offer assistance to the spinners but having said that Australia lost both their openers in the first three overs itself with a wicket for India's seamers Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami. After that, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith looked two of the team's best batters on the day and ensured the team did not lose another wicket in the second session. But it was all about the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin from there on as they took the remaining 8 wickets.
Jadeja, making a return to international cricket after a long injury layoff, scalped a fifer while Ashwin, including the wicket of Carey which took him to the landmark returned with figures of 3 for 42 as India bowled out Australia for 177. Ahead of the series, Australia had flown in a net bowler Mahesh Pithiya whose action was similar to that of Ashwin to help them prepare for the Test but they would still have a lot to figure to put on an improved show with the bat in the second innings against a world-class spin attack of India.