IND vs ENG 2024: Ravichandran Ashwin joins 500 Test club in Rajkot

They sure make them tough down there in South India. The Tamil Nadu man now has 500 Test wickets. They say Chennai boys are not keen on compromise, and Ravichandran Ashwin has never been one to.

What’s the most astonishing thing about Ashwin? Is it the tactical genius, the heart to keep bowling long spells or the ability and mind to keep getting better with every game that passes by? Well, we might have a lot to unfold and dig but for now, he joins an elite list in the most poetic way - finding an opening when India were slightly falling behind. A constant in Ashwin's 98-match old Test career. 

An opening batter who pushed himself down the order has now entered an elite 500 club with Zak Crawley being the victim. Ashwin also is the second fastest to the 500 mark in terms of matches played (98 Tests), balls bowled (25714), and innings (184).

Ashwin became the ninth bowler, only the second Indian to reach the historic landmark. The 37-year-old off-spinner has 34 five-wicket hauls and eight ten-wicket hauls thus far. Ashwin has stared pressure in the face more often than not and has tried conquering it with his bag of tricks. 

The moment came when he bowled on the rough down leg with Crawley attempting a sweep, top-edging a sitter straight to Rajat Patidar. Ashwin made his debut 1,500 km away from the scene of his 500th scalp at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi (Arun Jaitley Stadium) against West Indies back in November 2011.