India clinched a dominant 2-0 series win against Bangladesh after a stunning 7-wicket win in the Kanpur Test on Tuesday. Ravichandran Ashwin entered the history books as he clinched the record-equalling 11th Player of the Series award after an impressive all-round show against Bangladesh.
The veteran all-rounder equalled the legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muthiah Muralidaran's historic record for the most Player of the Series awards in Test cricket history. Notably, Ashwin reached Muralidaran's record in just 43 bilateral Test series, 18 fewer than the Sri Lankan legend.
Most Player of the Series awards in Test cricket
- Ravichandran Ashwin - 11 in 43 Test series
- Muthiah Muralidaran - 11 in 61 Test series
- Jacques Kallis - 9 in 61 Test series
- Imran Khan - 8 in 28 Test series
- Richard Hadlee - 8 in 33 Test series
- Shane Warne - 8 in 46 Test series
After the game, Ashwin played down his comparison with the Sri Lankan great saying he is only never thinking about any milestones. Ashwin said he is only focusing on one game at a time and also denied having any thoughts of reaching 600 Test wickets in future.
Ashwin and Bumrah claimed 11 wickets each in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh but the former also smashed a match-winning hundred in the first game in Chennai to deservedly claim the Player of the Series award.
The 38-year-old off-spinner has been in sensational form in red-ball cricket in the current World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle. He picked up three wickets in the second innings to become the leading wicket-taker in the WTC 2025 cycle with 53 wickets in 19 innings, surpassing Australian pacer Hazlewood's 51 wickets tally.
Ashwin is also closing in on Nathan Lyon's record 187 wickets in WTC history and needs only two wickets to claim the top spot. The veteran spinner also holds the top position in the ICC Men's Test bowling rankings with 37 wickets in 7 Tests in 2024.
