Daily Times

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday entered an elite club of bowlers to take 500 Test wickets in a stellar cricketing career that includes a World Cup triumph. India’s go-to bowler for more than a decade, Ashwin took his 500th wicket in the third Test in Rajkot by dismissing England’s Zak Crawley to team hugs and a standing ovation from the crowd. “One of the greats of the game gets to a fantastic landmark. Time to stand up and applaud a phenomenal achievement,” veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The 37-year-old Ashwin, called an “all-time great” by his Test captain Rohit Sharma, became only the ninth bowler to hit the landmark and only the second from India after Anil Kumble (619). Ashwin, from the southern city of Chennai, started out as an IT engineer after graduating from university and is known for his precision. The innovative Ashwin is still honing his craft, even though his skill and guile have already led to a glittering international career. Employing the full width of the crease, Ashwin delivers his off-spin from multiple angles with varying pace.