Ravi Ashwin became the fourth Indian bowler to pick up 400 wickets in Test cricket. Virat Kohli was all praises during the post-match presentation when he called the off-spinner a ‘modern-day legend’ of cricket. Ashwin picked the wicket of Jofra Archer to reach the tally of 400 wickets. In the third Test, Ashwin picked seven wickets which took his overall tally to 401 wickets.
He is the second fastest overall to reach the milestone. Ashiwn reached the feat in 77 matches while Muttiah Muralitharan reached 400 wickets in 72 Test matches. The other Indians to have attained this feat are Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434) and Harbhajan Singh (417).
On the other hand, the commentary box was also all praises for Ashwin when he came on to bat. Cricketer-turned-commentator Akash Chopra said that R Ashwin is like a ‘Right-Handed Matthew Hayden’. He said this when Ashwin swept Jack Leach over square-leg and showcased his tremendous top-order like batting skills. Ashwin’s performance with the bat has been extraordinary in the past few months. His century helped India get past England in the second Test match.
During the post-match presentation, Kohli said, “I think we need to stand up and take notice of what Ashwin has done. In Tests, he is a modern-day legend. As a captain, I am so pleased he is in my team.”
“It feels amazing actually to reach 400 Test wickets. The entire stadium stood up and clapped for me. Pleased it happened in the winning cause. I can't really get a grip of what has happened in the last 2-3 months. It has been a dreamy run and a fairytale,” Ashwin said.