R Ashwin, the Test colossus: Graphical comparison of joint-fastest bowler to 350 wickets with top-10 wicket-takers in Tests

When Ravichandran Ashwin made Proteas batsman Theunis de Bruyn drag one onto the stumps in the second innings of the first Test between India and South Africa in Vizag, he became the fastest Indian bowler (in terms of matches) to take 350 wickets. In fact, he became the joint-fastest in the world along with Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, taking 66 Tests, to reach that landmark. Ashwin overtook India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests, Anil Kumble, who held the Indian record by reaching the milestone in 77 matches. The Tamil Nadu spinner finished as highest wicket-taker in the series against South Africa. He couldn’t make it to the starting eleven in the West Indies series earlier and that sparked a debate about who is the number one spinner in this Indian side. However, Ashwin sent a gentle reminder of his class and consistency with his performance in the South Africa series. Ever since his debut, Ashwin has taken giant strides in Test cricket. As he becomes the joint-fastest to 350 in the world, we compare his wicket-taking capabilities match by match with the top 10 wicket-takers in the history of Test cricket. What the graph shows us is that Ashwin’s consistency in terms of taking wickets stands out. And that’s why he is on road to becoming an all-time Test great. Shane Warne the second-highest wicket-taker (708) in Test cricket took 80 Tests to reach the 350-mark, James Anderson, the fourth highest-wicket getter (575) reached the milestone in 93 matches. If you are not able to view the graph, click on this link Here’s a comparison of Ashwin with the top-10 wicket takers in their first 66 matches of their Test careers.