Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar lauded veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for reaching the remarkable milestone of 500 Test wickets. Sunil Gavaskar stated that Ravichandran Ashwin should have been appointed as the Indian Test captain two years ago.
Ravichandran Ashwin became the ninth bowler in international cricket to pick up 500 wickets in Test cricket. The 37-year-old became the second bowler, after the legendary Anil Kumble, to reach this milestone. He has taken 501 wickets in 98 Tests at an average of 23.94.
The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer achieved the milestone by dismissing England opener Zak Crawley in the first innings of the third Test in Rajkot. However, he returned to Chennai due to a family medical emergency. He rejoined the team on the fourth day’s play.
What A Tremendous Cricketer – Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar believes Ravichandran Ashwin deserved the captaincy for India a few years ago, praising his exceptional cricketing intellect and innovative approach. Gavaskar wished for Ashwin to continue his success in bowling.
“Congratulations to Ravichandran Ashwin on capturing his 500th Test wicket. What a tremendous cricketer he has been! One of the finest thinkers in the game and always willing to try something new and different, be it a run-up, delivery action, or, of course, deliveries to bamboozle the batter,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
“He should have been honored with the India captaincy a couple of years back when there were two India teams playing around the same time. Well done, Ashwin, and I wish you many more wickets, newer deliveries, and different actions in the future,” he added.
Virat Kohli stepped down from the captaincy of the Test team following India’s 2-1 loss to South Africa in January 2022. Rohit Sharma, who was leading in the limited-overs formats, was appointed as the Test captain by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The Very Simple Answer Is No – Ravichandran Ashwin
In a post-match press conference following his 500th Test wicket, Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed the idea of targeting Anil Kumble’s record. Ashwin expressed satisfaction with his current approach, which has proven effective over the past few years.
“The very simple answer is ‘no’… 120 wickets away. Every day is what I want to live for, and, I’m 37 years old. I don’t know what’s in store next. What’s in store for the next two months?” Ashwin said.
“You play this series and then what lies ahead, you really don’t know. I don’t want to really jump the gun. I’ve kept it this way for the last 4-5 years and it’s been very simple and it’s worked for me. Why change anything that’s working for you?” Ashwin added.
On February 20, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul would not participate in the fourth Test against England. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested, while KL Rahul has not fully recovered from his injury.
The fourth Test of the five-match series is scheduled to be played at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi starting on Friday, February 23.
