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Ashwin, fastest to 300 Test wickets, turns 33 today
YB WEB DESK. Dated: 9/17/2019 5:49:10 PM
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin turned 33 today, as he gets ready to feature in three-Test home series against South Africa.
Ashwin, who was born on September 17, 1986, in Madras (now Chennai), was in the squad for the recently concluded West Indies Tests but not included in the playing XI. However, Ashwin will play a huge role in the upcoming home series against South Africa, given his ability to run-through gritty batting orders in the sub-continent.
Ashwin is famously known for his off-break and his floater as his stock deliveries and using the carrom ball and other variations sparingly. An opener with the bat before he took up off-spin, Ashwin is more than a handy lower-order batsman: he is correct, has the shots and scored four Test centuries.
Since his Test debut against West Indies in 2011, Ashwin has made it a habit to pick up wickets, especially in dry and dusty conditions that support turn. Ashwin became only the seventh Indian to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut. He took two five-wicket hauls and scored a century in that series and won the player of the series award.
Ashwin, who holds the record of becoming the fastest bowler to reach the 300-wicket mark in Test cricket, has an impressive record of 342 wickets in 65 Tests, at an average of 25.44. Ashwin was an honoured recipient of Arjuna Award in 2014 and ICC Cricketer of the year 2016 along with ICC Test Cricketer of the year 2016 in December 2016.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who is set to make a switch from Kings XI Punjab to Delhi Capitals for next edition of the Indian Premier League, has taken 125 wickets in 139 IPL matches at an economy rate of 6.79, which is the best among all Indian bowlers with 50-plus wickets.