Ravichandran Ashwin becomes fastest Indian bowler to take 500 Test wickets

Ashwin becomes the second Indian player to take 500 Test wickets after Anil Kumble and the third Asian to do so after Muralidaran.

By V M Suriya Narayanan

Updated - 16 Feb 2024, 16:22 IST

View : 331
12 Min Read

Ravichandran Ashwin quickly impacted England's first innings in Rajkot, dismissing Zak Crawley to reach his 500th Test wicket. This achievement makes him the fastest Indian (98 matches) to the milestone and second fastest overall, behind only Muttiah Muralidaran (87 matches). He's also the second Indian and third Asian after Muralidaran to take 500 Test wickets. During India's 2021 England tour, he broke Kumble's record for the fastest Indian to 400 Test wickets (77 matches) and went onto reach 500 in just 21 more matches.  Ashwin took 25,714 deliveries to complete 500 Test wickets, only behind Glenn McGrath, who took 25,528 deliveries to achieve the same milestone

Ashwin now holds the record for the fastest Indian to reach every 50-wicket mark from 50 to 450. His 500th wicket marks not just a personal achievement but a testament to his exceptional skill and resilience. Only eight other bowlers have achieved this feat which places him among all-time greats of the sport. As an off-spinner in a fast-bowling era, his consistent wicket-taking ability is remarkable. His journey to 500 wickets is the second fastest, solidifying his place as a modern spin legend. 

Fastest 500 Test wickets  

Matches 

Players 

87 

Muthiah Muralidaran 

98 

Ravichandran Ashwin 

105 

Anil Kumble 

108 

Shane Warne 

110 

Glenn McGrath 

Matches taken for Ashwin to claim milestone wickets 

Wickets 

Matches 

50 

9 

100 

18 

150 

29 

200 

37 

250 

45 

300 

54 

350 

66 

400 

77 

450 

89 

500 

98 

Ashwin’s Milestone Landmarks 

Player 

Wicket 

Darren Sammy (WI) 

100 

Kane Williamson (NZ) 

200 

Lahiru Gamage (SL) 

300 

Jofra Archer (ENG) 

400 

Zak Crawley (ENG) 

500 

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store