Ravichandran Ashwin becomes fastest player to score 2000 Test runs and take 200 Test wickets
Ravichandran Ashwin has become the fastest player to complete the double of scoring 2000 Test runs and taking 200 Test wickets, during his knock of 54 against Sri Lanka in the second Test today. Ian Botham, Imran Khan, and Kapil Dev are positioned in the first three places on the list.
Ashwin has proven his worth as a valuable all-rounder to the Indian side time and again and only cemented that reputation with yet another half-century in the ongoing second Test match against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo.
Coming to the crease after the fall of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane’s wickets in the first session in the day’s play, not only did Ashwin manage to stem the fall of wickets, he also managed to notch up yet another fifty to his name. In the process, he reached his eleventh Test half century in style when he hoisted Rangana Herath for a six.
In the process, he also completed 2000 runs in Test cricket, being the fastest to the double of 2000 runs and 200 wickets. Having taken 51 Tests to reach the feat, he is fourth fastest on the list behind Ian Botham, Imran Khan, and Kapil Dev. More importantly, the 30-year old became the fastest to complete the double of 2000 runs and 200 wickets in Tests. New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee, who had got there in his 54th Test match, held the previous record. In fact, Ashwin became the second fastest Indian to reach this landmark after Kapil Dev, who achieved this milestone in his 50th Test match.
Ravichandran Ashwin is part of quite an elite club in being the fourth fastest to reach the 2,000 runs - 200 wickets double in Tests #SLvInd pic.twitter.com/c4YaRDQqcl
— ICC (@ICC) August 4, 2017
After he achieved the record though, Ashwin soon fell to Herath for 54, but his efforts helped India amass a huge total of 622 in their first innings.