Explore the top 5 bowling records by Ravichandran Ashwin in Test cricket, highlighting his best performances and achievements. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the greatest spinners and India’s biggest match-winners in Test cricket.
In his 100-Test career, Ashwin has taken 516 wickets, which is the second-highest for India and the ninth-highest in the world. His bowling average of 23.75 is the fourth-best among the top 10 Test wicket-takers.
Ashwin is in the final phase of his career but still plays an important role, especially in Tests in Asia and the West Indies. Although he hasn’t been as successful in SENA countries, he has contributed to some famous overseas wins with his tight and economical bowling.
In this article, we will look at his top five bowling performances in Test cricket.
Top 5 best bowling performances by Ravichandran Ashwin in Test cricket:
5. 7/103 vs Australia, Chennai, 2013
Ravichandran Ashwin played a key role with the ball in India’s 4-0 win over Australia at home in the 2013 series. One of his best performances was in the first Test at his home ground in Chennai.
In Australia’s first innings, Ashwin took 7 wickets, bowling 42 overs and giving away 103 runs with an economy rate of 2.45. His wickets included top players like Shane Watson and David Warner. Australia were all out for 380 runs.
In the second innings, Ashwin took another five wickets. This helped India get a small target of 50 runs, which they chased easily.
4. 7/83 vs West Indies, North Sound, 2016
In the Antigua Test during India’s 2016 tour of the West Indies, Ashwin delivered an outstanding all-round performance. He scored 113 runs with the bat, while Virat Kohli hit a double century, helping India post a total of 566.
Although Ashwin didn’t take any wickets in West Indies’ first innings, he made a big impact in the second innings by taking seven wickets. West Indies lost the match by an innings and 92 runs, and Ashwin was named Man of the Match. He bowled eight maiden overs in his 25 overs during the second innings.
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3. 7/71 vs West Indies, Roseau, 2023
Ravichandran Ashwin’s third-best bowling figures in Test cricket came against the West Indies in the Dominica Test in 2023. Ashwin took five wickets in the first innings, helping bowl out the West Indies for just 150 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal then scored 171 on his Test debut.
In the second innings, Ashwin took 7 wickets for 71 runs in 21.3 overs, including seven maidens. The West Indies were dismissed for only 130 runs. Ashwin got three of the top five batters out and then cleaned up the last four.
2. 7/66 vs South Africa, 2015
The IND vs SA series in 2015 was played on pitches that helped spinners, and Ashwin took full advantage of these conditions.
In the third Test in Nagpur, where South Africa was bowled out for 79 and 185 runs, Ashwin took 5 wickets for 32 runs in the first innings and 7 wickets for 66 runs in the second innings. India won by 124 runs, and Ashwin was named Player of the Match.
1. 7/59 vs New Zealand, Indore, 2016
Ravichandran Ashwin’s best bowling performance in Test cricket is 7/59, which he achieved against New Zealand in Indore in 2016. Thanks to Kohli’s double century, India scored 557 runs in their first innings before Ashwin took over.
Ashwin then took 6/81 and 7/59 in New Zealand’s two innings, helping India win by a huge margin of 321 runs. He was named both the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series for taking 27 wickets in three tests.
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