Fastest Indian bowlers to reach 50 wickets in Tests
These bowlers didn't take much time in ruffling feathers at the highest level in red-ball cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin (9 matches, 2,726 balls)
Making his way into the Indian side after his excellent performances in the Indian Premier League, Ravi Ashwin was the find of IPL. In the days when the mainstream way to get into the Indian squad was to get through the churning of domestic cricket and the work your way up to get into the good books of the selectors, Ashwin’s inclusion into the Indian squad based on his performances in the IPL took everyone by surprise.
But, the street-smart tactics, backed by his ability to bowl the right delivery at the right time and give the required air time to the ball to get wickets at crucial junctures made Ashwin a regular feature in the Indian side and Dhoni’s go to man in tough situations. The duo of MS Dhoni and Ashwin was at one time a nightmare for batsmen as they devised some of the most unpredictable plans to get them off the pitch.
A string of some underwhelming performances in ODI and T-20 cricket and the arrival of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal made Ashwin fade away from the shorter format. But, his exploits in Test cricket continue to bother the batsmen and he is still a mainstay in the Indian Test bowling attack along with his left armed partner Ravindra Jadeja.
Ashwin got to 50 wickets in just his 8th match, while playing against England at Ahmedabad on 16th November 2012, after bowling 2,726 deliveries at an average of 26.63 and strike rate of 52.42.
~Written by Satvik Pandey
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