Two days ahead of the India vs Bangladesh 1st Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, local boy Ravichandran Ashwin turned 38. One of India's greatest match-winners especially in red-ball cricket will hold the key if India are to secure a place in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a birthday wish for the legendary off-spinner, a veteran of 281 international caps for India.
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Here is a look at 5 records that Ashwin could break in IND vs BAN Test Series:
i) Most Wickets In India: Even though Ashwin is still some time away before he gets past legendary Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble's record as the leading wicket-taker in Test matches for India, in Test matches at home, Ashwin is 22 wickets away from breaking Kumble's record. Kumble had scalped 476 international wickets in home matches which Ashwin can now break in the IND vs BAN Test series in which he has got a potential of 4 innings to bowl.
ii) Leading Wicket-Taker In India vs Bangladesh Tests: As things stand, the leading wicket-taker in India vs Bangladesh Tests is Zaheer Khan who had scalped 31 wickets. Ashwin, however, has a big chance of owning this record as he has 23 dismissals. 9 wickets across a maximum of 4 innings, two tests included, is not a big deal for Ashwin.
iii) Most Wickets In This WTC Campaign: As of now, it is Australia's Josh Hazlewood has the most wickets in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 campaign with 51 wickets. Ashwin has 42 wickets and 10 more wickets in the series would take him past Hazlewood's tally.
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iv) Most 5-Fors In WTC History: Ashwin has 10 fifers already in the World Test Champtionship (WTC) history, which is the joint-best along with Australia's Nathon Lyon. Another fifer in the series, nothing new for Ashwin, will make him the solo record-holder.
v) Most Wickets In WTC History: The star Indian off-spinner can become the highest wicket taker in the ICC World Test Championship history. While Nathan Lyon has 187 wickets in the WTC overall, Ashwin is 14 shy of that number and with two Tests against Bangladesh scheduled there is no reason why he can't get to that number in this series itself.