It was always only a matter of time before another milestone was breached by Ashwin. He got to the milestone of 400 wickets in 75 Tests in the ongoing Test Series between England vs India. He is the second-fastest to that haul only after the Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan who did it after 72 matches. So, straight off the bat, I would like to extend my congratulations to one of the best spinners of our game.
As a fan, there’s always a player whose career grows with you and for me, It was Ashwin. He made his way to the team around the same time that I started to ardently follow the game. So, his career has always been a matter of interest and it has been great to follow someone who was different from others in every way possible.
He always came out as someone who challenged conventions and was always looking for an edge in a game that always is resistant to changes but also, inclined towards the batsmen. Be it with Doosra, Carrom ball, Long Sleeves,.etc, he always was out there to get one over the batsman. He now runs a terrific YouTube channel and the way he gives an insight into his mindset and various things that happen in & around the dressing room is simply amazing.
As he’s branded as a Test Specialist now, at the start of his career, he was more seen as a limited-overs specialist. He made it to the Indian team in 2010 on the back of strong domestic performances and Stellar IPL. Just over a year down the line, he was set for his Test debut against West Indies. He announced himself onto the scene with a Man of the series performance against them.
He was then slated to go to Australia and that was a tough series for someone who was just starting his career. He had a great series against New Zealand and looked to be back amongst the wickets. It was followed by a tough home series that India lost to England. While he had a decent series with both bat and ball but his performances came under severe scrutiny. He was written off by many people after those series. A good series against Australia did a world of good but It was followed by challenging tours in foreign conditions of South Africa, England New Zealand and Australia. He was dropped in South Africa after the first test. He didn’t start in both the England and Australia series.
But He again reinvented himself and had a stellar tour of Sri Lanka and then had a great domestic series against South Africa. He then went on to have a great tour to West Indies with both ball and bat, bagging another Man of the Series Award. He was a key performer in the following series against New Zealand, England in late 2016 and Australia in 2017. He bagged two ICC awards in that period including Sir Garfields Sobers Award.
He already had a great record which should have been appreciated but there was one more ground for him to conquer. He was always targeted for his record in Foreign conditions especially in non-Asian countries like England, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Not that he had to prove anything to anyone but this was something that he would have wanted to address.
After getting “rested” ( The rest which never seems to get over) from the limited-overs side, he decided to explore County Cricket. He went on to represent Worcestershire and the stint really helped him in getting acclimated to the Dukes ball and English conditions. He had a decent South Africa series and then in the England Tour, he made a terrific start especially his wickets of Sir Cook was a sight to behold. An injury damaged his prospects of having a great series and Southampton Test was a bitter pill to swallow. A lot of people called for his head after that Test.
A good series against West Indies in India was followed by much anticipated Australian series. He was one of the key performers in the victory in the first test of the series. He was bowling really well but sadly, again he was hit by an injury and his contributions on the field was limited to that one Test in the historic series win against Australia in Australia. The next bit of Test action was only scheduled for late 2019. So, he again decided to play in the County Circuit and this time he turned out for Nottinghamshire. He had a great return for the county but couldn’t prevent their relegation.
He then went on to have a great series against South Africa and Bangladesh at home. A tough series in NZ followed which India ended up losing badly. Then, after that due to the Pandemic, There was no action till the Australian Series. By his own admission, there was a good possibility that he might not have started the series as Jadeja was in good form. But as luck would have it, Jadeja was ruled out of the first test. Ashwin made the best use of the opportunity and put in a good show with a pink ball even if it was about to be a horrendous Test for India. With India back to the walls, He put in a great performance in the MCG Test and was an important cog in the victory that levelled the series.
In the SCG Test, he battled against all odds with Hanuma Vihari to save the Test and kept India in the series. This was important as it not only provided a platform for India to go for victory in the fourth test but also, kept WTC Final Qualifications in India’s own hands. While he couldn’t make it for the fourth Test, he played a crucial role in the amazing series win in Australia. He managed to put in a performance that made everyone acknowledge the growth of his career from his first tour years back.
In the ongoing series against England in which He is the leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets, He finally managed to get to the 400 wickets mark when he got the wicket of Jofra Archer. He now has over 600 international wickets for India and is a legend in his own rights. He has always faced a lot of unnecessary flak over his foreign records but in recent years, he has managed to overcome that aspect as well. His figures are just staggering, to say the least, and It’s a bit sad when he isn’t given the respect that he deserves. He deserves a lot of plaudits for reinventing himself and always being ready for a new challenge. Here’s wishing him all the best and hoping that he can mount the 619 challenge in the near future.
