In a historic moment on Saturday, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin surpassed Harbhajan Singh to become India's second-highest wicket-taker in international cricket. The remarkable feat was achieved during the thrilling first Test of the two-match series against the West Indies in Dominica. Ashwin displayed an exceptional away performance, leaving the cricket world in awe. He claimed a remarkable 5/60 in the first inning and followed it up with an impressive 7/71 in the second inning, ending with a combined figure of 12/131.
With this brilliant showing, Ashwin's tally of international wickets now stands at 709 in 271 matches, an outstanding achievement. His bowling brilliance has resulted in an average of 25.67, and his best bowling figures in an innings are an impressive 7/59. Notably, he has 27 four-wicket hauls, an impressive 34 five-wicket hauls, and eight ten-wicket hauls in international cricket.
Leading the pack for India in international cricket is the legendary Anil Kumble, who boasts a phenomenal 953 wickets in 401 matches, with an average of 30.06 and best figures of 10/74. Kumble has an astounding 39 four-wicket hauls, 37 five-wicket hauls, and eight ten-wicket hauls to his name.
Harbhajan Singh, who held the second position, now slips to third with 707 wickets in 365 matches, maintaining an average of 32.59 and best figures of 8/84. His international career includes 19 four-wicket hauls, 28 five-wicket hauls, and 5 ten-wicket hauls.
Ashwin's ten-wicket haul equals Kumble's record for the most ten-wicket hauls by an Indian bowler, with a total of eight. Harbhajan follows closely with a commendable record of 5 ten-wicket hauls.
The spinner's stunning figures of 12/131 rank as the third-best bowling performance by an Indian in an away Test. The top spot goes to Bhagwath Chandrashekhar, who took a combined 12/104 in a Test against Australia at Melbourne in 1977, followed by Irfan Pathan, who claimed 12/126 against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2005.
Additionally, Ashwin's 12/131 marks the third-best bowling performance by any player in India-West Indies Tests. Narendra Hirwani leads this category with his outstanding 16/136 at Chennai back in 1988, followed by Andy Roberts, who secured 12/121 against India in Chennai in 1975.
Ashwin has also set a record for securing a five-wicket haul in both innings of a Test match six times, the highest by any Indian. Sri Lankan spin maestro Muttiah Muralidaran holds the overall record with 11 such performances. Furthermore, Ashwin now boasts six five-wicket hauls against the West Indies, setting the record for the most by an Indian. He has also equaled Malcolm Marshall's record for the most five-wicket hauls in India-West Indies Tests.
Turning to the match itself, West Indies won the toss and chose to bat first but was bundled out for a mere 150 runs in their first innings. Ashwin's fifer and Ravindra Jadeja's impressive 3/26 were standout performances from the Indian bowlers. In response, India asserted its dominance, with skipper Rohit Sharma (30*) and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal (40*) finishing day one unbeaten at 80/0. The second day saw Rohit scoring his 10th Test century and Jaiswal achieving a remarkable century on his debut. Rohit's innings of 103 runs off 221 balls included 10 fours and two sixes, setting up a formidable 229-run opening stand.
Jaiswal and Virat Kohli then took charge with a partnership of 110 runs for the third wicket. Jaiswal's impressive knock of 171 runs off 387 balls included 16 fours and a six. Kohli contributed 76 runs off 182 balls with five boundaries. India eventually declared their innings at 421/5, with Ravindra Jadeja (37*) and debutant Ishan Kishan (1*) remaining unbeaten.
The Windies struggled once again in their second innings against the formidable Ashwin-Jadeja duo, and India bowled them out for a mere 130 runs. Alick Athanaze (28) and Jason Holder (20*) were the only batsmen who managed to reach the 20-run mark.
Ashwin's phenomenal bowling performance of 7/71 and Jadeja's 2/38 dismantled the West Indies batting lineup, leaving them reeling. Mohammed Siraj chipped in with one wicket as well. As a result of his outstanding contributions with the bat and ball, Yashasvi Jaiswal was rightfully awarded the 'Man of the Match’ title for his century. With this commanding victory, India currently leads the two-match series 1-0, leaving cricket fans eagerly anticipating the next contest.
