It’s not the first time that Ravichandran Ashwin has added a record to his name but it’s always special to watch him achieve one feat after another. On the second day of the third Test against England, Ashwin picked the wicket of Zak Crawley, to complete 500 Test wickets and became the fastest Indian bowler to do so.
Ashwin enters the 500 wickets club
Ashwin also became the second-fastest bowler overall to achieve this milestone, both in terms of matches played and balls bowled. Completing it in 25715 balls, Ashwin is second on the list while the legendary Glenn McGrath, who achieved the feat in 25528 balls, tops the chart. In terms of matches played, Ashwin took only 98 matches and is second to the Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan who only took 87 matches.
Being only the ninth bowler in the elite club, Ashwin is also only the second Indian to be a part of it, with the legendary Anil Kumble being the first one. Surpassing Kumble, Ashwin became the fastest Indian bowler to do so as he achieved the feat in seven Tests less than the former. However, the veteran remains the highest wicket-taker in Tests for India, with 619 Tests in 132 games while Muttiah Muralitharan tops the chart of the highest Test wicket-taker overall, with 800 wickets in just 133 matches. 
Words of praises for Ashwin
Anil Kumble also applauded Ashwin and shared a message for the spin wizard on social media. “A champion bowler who never stops to learn. Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on this monumental achievement! Wonderful to see another Indian spinner joining the club,” wrote Kumble.
Fans are over the moon with Ashwin’s fantastic feat and are pouring in congratulatory messages for him on social media.
Earlier in the second Test in Vishakhapatnam, Ashwin picked the 96th English wicket to surpass BS Chandrashekhar to become the leading wicket-taker for India against England in Tests. He achieved the feat after dismissing Ollie Pope after Rohit Sharma successfully took his catch in the second innings of the second Test.
Third India vs England Test
India has managed to put a solid total of 445 on the board in their first innings on day 2 of the Rajkot Test. Thanks to a remarkable partnership between skipper Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, India managed to provide stability to their batting order after losing 3 wickets quickly at 33.
In the process of strengthening their partnership, Sharma was able to complete his eleventh Test century while smashing 131 runs off 196 balls. Jadeja also managed to smash 122 runs off 225 balls before departing in the first hour of the play on Day 2. Debutant Sarfaraz Khan also contributed to the total with a terrific half-century, winning the hearts of the fans.
