da jogodeouro： His numbers with the ball are the stuff of legend, but Ashwin was more than handy with the bat too
da leao： Sampath Bandarupalli18-Dec-2024Ashwin finishes his career with 537 wickets in 106 Test matches, placing him seventh on the all-time wicket-takers list, behind Anil Kumble’s tally of 619 for India. His strike rate of 50.73 is the highest among the nine bowlers with over 500 wickets, while his bowling average of 24 ranks third.He achieved five or more wickets in a Test innings on 37 occasions, a number bettered only by Muthiah Muralidaran, who did it 67 times, while Shane Warne also managed it on 37 ocassions. He has also claimed ten or more wickets in a Test match eight times, the highest among Indian bowlers, alongside Kumble.ESPNcricinfo LtdDominance at Home
Ashwin’s remarkable success at home has contributed significantly to India’s impressive record in home Tests over the past decade. He has played every home Test since his debut in 2011, spanning 65 matches.Of those 65 home Tests, India won 47; only Sachin Tendulkar has featured in more Test wins – 52. Only Alastair Cook (89) played more home Tests than Ashwin without missing any, while the previous highest among allrounders was Tony Greig (31) and among bowlers was Dilip Doshi (21).ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin took 383 wickets in those 65 home Tests, the most by any Indian bowler and the fourth-highest overall. His 29 five-wicket hauls at home are second only to Muralidaran’s 45. Ashwin’s tally of 303 wickets in Test victories at home is just two shy of Muralidaran’s 305.Among the 23 bowlers with 200-plus Test wickets at home, Ashwin’s average of 21.57 is the sixth-highest, while his strike rate of 46 is the fourth-best. It is also the best strike rate among the eight spin bowlers with 200-plus wickets at home.The ratio between Ashwin’s home average and that of other bowlers (32.47) in those matches is 1.51, the fifth highest among the bowlers with 200-plus wickets at home.ESPNcricinfo LtdContributions with the Bat
Ashwin’s success in Tests wasn’t limited to his bowling; he also made valuable contributions with the bat. He scored six centuries, four of which came while batting at No. 8 or lower, ranking just behind Daniel Vettori’s five.In four of the six matches where he scored a century, he also took a five-wicket haul – only Ian Botham (5) has achieved this double more frequently than Ashwin.Among the eight players with 500-plus wickets before Ashwin, only Stuart Broad and Kumble scored a hundred in Tests. Ashwin’s total of 3503 runs is second only to Broad’s 3662 runs among bowlers with 500-plus wickets.ESPNcricinfo LtdIndia’s very own match-winner
India won 61 of the 106 Test matches in which Ashwin played, with only Tendulkar (72) and Virat Kohli (62) featuring in more Test victories for India. Ashwin’s presence in the playing XI contributed to a win percentage of 57.55%, which is the sixth-highest among players who have played over 100 Tests.The only players with better win percentages are Australians: Matthew Hayden (68.93), Glenn McGrath (67.74), Justin Langer (66.67), Ricky Ponting (64.29), and Shane Warne (63.45), who all played during a dominant period for Australian cricket from 1993 to 2008.