Ravichandran Ashwin, who is now ranked second among bowlers and all-rounders in the ICC Men’s Test Rankings, is about to make his 100th appearance in a Test match. A look at all the important figures from an amazing voyage.
The club of 100 Tests
14- Ashwin will rank as the 77th player overall and the 14th cricketer to represent India in 100 Tests. Sunil Gavaskar (125), Dilip Vengsarkar (116), Kapil Dev (131), Sachin Tendulkar (200), Anil Kumble (132), Rahul Dravid (164), Sourav Ganguly (113), VVS Laxman (134), Harbhajan Singh (103), Virender Sehwag (104), Ishant Sharma (105), Virat Kohli (113), and Cheteshwar Pujara (103), are the 13 Indian players who accomplished this feat before Ashwin.
The only countries with more players with 100 Test caps are Australia (15) and England (16). Jonny Bairstow, who has also played 99 Tests for England, is expected to be the team’s seventeenth such player.
When Ashwin receives his 100th Test cap, he will be the oldest Indian player at 37 years, 172 days. After Geoffrey Boycott (40y, 254d), Clive Lloyd (39y, 241d), Graham Gooch (39y, 190d), Gordon Greenidge (38y, 346d), and Younis Khan (37y, 208d), he will be the sixth oldest overall at the time of his 100th Test.
Anil Kumble (35y, 62d), Sunil Gavaskar (35y, 99d), Cheteshwar Pujara (35y, 23d), and Sourav Ganguly (35y, 171d) are the other four Indian players who entered their 100th Test after turning 35.
dvancement in one’s career
In his first Test series in 2011–12, Ashwin started his career with both bat and ball with great success. However, he had a poor performance in the next trip to Australia, and that was the case throughout the first few years of his career—brilliant at home, not so much abroad.
In Tests, Ashwin
Debut to 2014/15 Australia tour
| Mat | Wkts | Ave | SR | 5W | 10W | |
| Home | 15 | 95 | 24.12 | 51.1 | 9 | 2 |
| Away | 9 | 24 | 56.58 | 104.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Overall | 24 | 119 | 30.67 | 61.8 | 9 | 2 |
The peak– India tour of Bangladesh 2015 to New Zealand tour of India 2021
Mat | Wkts | Ave | SR | 5W | 10W | |
| Home | 34 | 205 | 20.14 | 46 | 15 | 4 |
| Away + Neutral | 23 | 103 | 24.49 | 53.2 | 6 | 1 |
| Overall | 57 | 308 | 21.6 | 48.4 | 21 | 5 |
Recent years
India tour of South Africa 2021/22 to present
Mat | Wkts | Ave | SR | 5W | 10W | |
| Home | 10 | 54 | 20.92 | 40.7 | 3 | 0 |
| Away | 8 | 26 | 26.69 | 58.6 | 2 | 1 |
| Overall | 18 | 80 | 22.8 | 46.5 | 5 | 1 |
2016: Ashwin’s annus mirabilis
Ashwin in 2016
| Matches 12 | Wkts | Ave | SR | 5W | 10W | Runs | Avg | 50/100 | HS |
| 72 | 23.9 | 48.7 | 8 | 3 | 612 | 43.71 | 4/2 | 118 |
72 – After Anil Kumble (74 in 2004) and Kapil Dev (75 in 1983 and 1979), Ashwin’s 72 wicket haul in 2016 was the third-highest for India in a calendar year. Since making his Test debut, no other bowler has really taken more than 70 wickets in a single year; Dale Steyn was the last to do so in 2008, when he took 74 wickets. The most wicket hauls for India in a calendar year were achieved by Ashwin in 2016, with eight five-fors and three 10-wicket matches.
Seven players, including Ashwin, who amassed 612 runs at 43.71 and took 72 wickets at 23.90 in 2016, have doubled their total of 500 runs and 50 wickets in a calendar year. Ian Botham (1978 and 1981), Kapil Dev (1979 and 1983), Shaun Pollock (1998 and 2001), Andrew Flintoff (2005), Daniel Vettori (2008), and Mitchell Johnson (2009) are the other six players to have achieved this feat to date.
master class in bowling
With 99 Test matches under his belt, Ashwin has taken the second-highest number of wickets (507) behind Muralitharan (584). Glenn McGrath (52.22) and Ashwin (51.3) are the two players with the highest strike rates among the 46 players who have taken at least four wickets in their first 99 games.
Most wickets after first 99 Tests
| Player | Country | Wickets | Avg | SR | 5wI | 10wM | BBI |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 584 | 22.48 | 56.8 | 48 | 14 | 9-51 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 507 | 23.92 | 51.3 | 35 | 8 | 7-59 |
| Anil Kumble | India | 478 | 28.03 | 65.13 | 30 | 8 | 10-74 |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | 446 | 21.74 | 52.22 | 24 | 3 | 8-38 |
| Shane Warne | Australia | 436 | 26.52 | 63.07 | 20 | 5 | 8-71 |
| Harbhajan Singh | India | 408 | 32.27 | 68.11 | 25 | 5 | 8-84 |
| Wasim Akram | Pakistan | 408 | 23.03 | 53.4 | 25 | 5 | 7-119 |
| Nathan Lyon | Australia | 396 | 31.98 | 63.98 | 18 | 3 | 8-50 |
9 – There are nine bowlers who have taken 500 or more wickets in Test matches. Ashwin is the most recent addition to the list; he reached the mark in the third Test of the current series at Rajkot. After Muttiah Muralitharan (87 Tests), he became the second-fastest to reach the mark in just 98 Tests. With 507 wickets so far for India, Ashwin is only second to Anil Kumble (619 wickets).
Ashwin was also the fastest to 250, 300 and 350 (joint-fastest alongside Muralitharan), and in fact, is the quickest Indian to the milestone of 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 wickets in Test cricket. Overall, he now has 735 wickets in international cricket, which is bettered only by Anil Kumble (956) among Indians.
Recently, Ashwin achieved 500 wickets in Test cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who is now ranked second among bowlers and all-rounders in the ICC Men’s Test Rankings, is about to make his 100th appearance in a Test match. A look at all the important figures from an amazing voyage.
The club of 100 Tests
14- Ashwin will rank as the 77th player overall and the 14th cricketer to represent India in 100 Tests. Sunil Gavaskar (125), Dilip Vengsarkar (116), Kapil Dev (131), Sachin Tendulkar (200), Anil Kumble (132), Rahul Dravid (164), Sourav Ganguly (113), VVS Laxman (134), Harbhajan Singh (103), Virender Sehwag (104), Ishant Sharma (105), Virat Kohli (113), and Cheteshwar Pujara (103), are the 13 Indian players who accomplished this feat before Ashwin.
The only countries with more players with 100 Test caps are Australia (15) and England (16). Jonny Bairstow, who has also played 99 Tests for England, is expected to be the team’s seventeenth such player.
When he receives his 100th Test cap, Ashwin, who is 37 years, 172 days old, will be the oldest Indian. At the time of his 100th Test, he will be the sixth oldest overall, behind Younis Khan (37y, 208d), Gordon Greenidge (38y, 346d), Graham Gooch (39y, 190d), Clive Lloyd (39y, 241d), and Geoffrey Boycott (40y, 254d).
Anil Kumble (35y, 62d), Sunil Gavaskar (35y, 99d), Cheteshwar Pujara (35y, 23d), and Sourav Ganguly (35y, 171d) are the other four Indian players who entered their 100th Test after turning 35.
advancement in one’s career
In his first Test series in 2011–12, Ashwin started his career with both bat and ball with great success. However, he had a poor performance in the next trip to Australia, and that was the case throughout the first few years of his career—brilliant at home, not so much abroad.
In Tests, Ashwin
Debut to 2014/15 Australia tour
| Mat | Wkts | Ave | SR | 5W | 5W | |
| Home | 15 | 95 | 24.12 | 51.1 | 9 | 2 |
| Away | 9 | 24 | 56.58 | 104.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Overall | 24 | 119 | 30.67 | 61.8 | 9 | 2 |
The peak– India tour of Bangladesh 2015 to New Zealand tour of India 2021
| Mat | Wkts | Ave | SR | 5W | 10W | |
| Home | 34 | 205 | 20.14 | 46 | 15 | 4 |
| Away + Neutral | 23 | 103 | 24.49 | 53.2 | 6 | 1 |
| Overall | 57 | 308 | 21.6 | 48.4 | 21 | 5 |
Recent years
India tour of South Africa 2021/22 to present
| Mat | Wkts | Ave | SR | 5W | 10W | |
| Home | 10 | 54 | 20.92 | 40.7 | 3 | 0 |
| Away | 8 | 26 | 26.69 | 58.6 | 2 | 1 |
| Overall | 18 | 80 | 22.8 | 46.5 | 5 | 1 |
2016: Ashwin’s annus mirabilis
Ashwin in 2016
| Matches | Wkts | Ave | SR | 5W | 10W | Runs | Avg | 50/100 | HS |
| 12 | 72 | 23.9 | 48.7 | 8 | 3 | 612 | 43.71 | 4/2 | 118 |
72 – After Anil Kumble (74 in 2004) and Kapil Dev (75 in 1983 and 1979), Ashwin’s 72 wicket haul in 2016 was the third-highest for India in a calendar year. Since making his Test debut, no other bowler has really taken more than 70 wickets in a single year; Dale Steyn was the last to do so in 2008, when he took 74 wickets. The most wicket hauls for India in a calendar year were achieved by Ashwin in 2016, with eight five-fors and three 10-wicket matches.
Seven players, including Ashwin, who amassed 612 runs at 43.71 and took 72 wickets at 23.90 in 2016, have doubled their total of 500 runs and 50 wickets in a calendar year. Ian Botham (1978 and 1981), Kapil Dev (1979 and 1983), Shaun Pollock (1998 and 2001), Andrew Flintoff (2005), Daniel Vettori (2008), and Mitchell Johnson (2009) are the other six players to have achieved this feat to date.
master class in bowling
After Muralitharan’s 584, Ashwin has taken the second-highest number of wickets in his first 99 Test matches with 507 wickets. Of the 46 players who have taken at least four wickets in their first 99 matches, Ashwin has the highest strike-rate (51.3), followed by Glenn McGrath (52.22).
