Ravichandran Ashwin broke the back of the Australian batting line-up in the 1st Test at Nagpur, claiming a total of eight wickets in the match - three in the 1st innings and five in the second.
Heading into the 2nd match in Delhi, Ashwin will again be one of the most difficult customers to deal with for Australia. He has been on their mind ever since they boarded the flight to India, and it was quite evident from the fact that they used to services of Mahesh Pithiya to prepare for the veteran off-spinner.
Ashwin On Brink Of Major Record
As of now, Ashwin has a total of 97 Test wickets against Australia. This includes his numbers both at home and away. If he can rake in three more wickets in the 2nd Test in Delhi, which in all probability, won't really be a big ask for him, he will complete 100 wickets vs the opposition and enter himself into an elite list.
He however, will still be far away from Shane Warne, who took a total of 195 wickets vs England in Tests, making him the topper of the list.
Record Breaking Ashwin
Ashwin finished with figures of 8 for 79, with a five-wicket haul in Australia's second innings on the third day on Saturday. With his five-for, Ashwin equaled legendary player Anil Kumble's record for most five-wicket hauls in Tests on home soil for India.
Ashwin became the joint-highest with Kumble to take 25 five-fors at home. The only two players who have registered more five-wicket hauls on home ground are Muthiah Muralidaran with 45 five-fors and Rangana Herath with 26 five-wicket hauls for Sri Lanka. "The wicket was very slow. I have been saying this all through the Test. Not one of those pitches where you might get the gloves ripping off at short leg or silly point. You need to get the batsman driving on this wicket," Ashwin said after the match.
It will be interesting to see how Ashwin fares in the 2nd match in Delhi.
Also Read: MS Dhoni's record against Ravichandran Ashwin in IPL
