Ravichandran Ashwin Breaks Kapil Dev’s BIG Record on Day 2 Of 3rd Test Against Australia

Ravichandran Ashwin picked up three of the six wickets of Australia to fall on Day 2 of the third Test in Indore.

Source: Twitter

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had to wait a long time to get a bowl on Day 2 of the third Test against Australia at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Thursday (March 2). However, Ashwin didn’t take long to get into the think of the action. The off-spinner broke a stubborn stand between Peter Handscomb and Cameron Green to open the flood-gates for India on the second day as Australia lost their last six wickets for just 12 runs.

Ashwin dismissed Handscomb for his first wicket of the Test match, with Shreyas Iyer taking a sharp catch at short-leg. The wicket of Handscomb was also Ashwin’s 687th international wicket, drawing him level with the legendary Kapil Dev. The former India captain had taken 687 wickets in 356 matches while Ashwin equalled the tally in just 269 games.

Ashwin then added the wickets of Alex Carey and Nathan Lyon and along with Umesh Yadav finished with a three-wicket haul each as Australia were bundled out for 197. In the process, the off-spinner went past Kapil Dev’s tally and is just 18 wickets short of Harbhajan Singh’s 707 wickets.

Among Indian bowlers, Anil Kumble leads the way with 953 wickets in 401 games. Ashwin has picked up a total of 466 wickets in 91 Tests, 151 scalps in 113 ODIs, and 72 wickets in 65 T20I matches played so far.

Here is the record of Indian bowlers with most wickets in international cricket…

Anil Kumble – 953 wickets in 401 matches

Harbhajan Singh – 707 wickets in 365 matches

R Ashwin – 689 wickets in 269 matches

Kapil Dev – 687 wickets in 356 matches

Zaheer Khan – 597 wickets 303 matches

Another day, another @ashwinravi99 record! _

Ravichandran Ashwin goes past Kapil paaji's tally of 6__8__7__ wickets in international cricket __#INDvAUS | #BGT2023 | #TeamIndia@therealkapildev pic.twitter.com/7Q6WH8KPWJ — Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) March 2, 2023

Earlier, resuming the day at 156 for 4, Australian batters Peter Handscomb and Cameron Green batted sensibly and took their team’s first innings lead beyond the 50-run mark. The Handscomb-Green partnership was taking the game away from the hosts. They desperately needed a wicket and Ravichandran Ashwin did exactly that dismissing Handscomb caught in the short leg by Shreyas Iyer for 19 breaking the 40-run partnership at 186.

Pacer Umesh Yadav dismissed Cameron Green for 21 leg before wicket as Australia lost their sixth wicket for 188. The Nagpur lad struck again in his next over cleaning Mitchell Starc for 1. Starc became Umesh’s 100th Test victim for Umesh on Indian soil. The pacer achieved this milestone in 31 matches to leave Australia tottering at 192/7.

India struck again in the space of four balls as Ashwin dismissed Alex Carey leg before wicket for 3 to leave Australia at 196/8. Umesh Yadav looked unstoppable as he got his third wicket in the match dismissing Todd Murphy for a duck rattling his stumps to reduce Australia to 197/9.

Ashwin cleaned up Australia’s innings dismissing Nathan Lyon for 5 to bowl out visitors for 197 taking an 88-run lead in the first innings.