Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made history on Monday, September 30, by becoming the first bowler to dismiss at least 50 batters in all three editions of the World Test Championship (WTC). The 38-year-old from Tamil Nadu, currently ranked No. 1 in the ICC Test bowler rankings, achieved this milestone during the second Test against Bangladesh at Green Park, Kanpur.
Ashwin reached this record by dismissing Shakib Al Hasan for nine runs in the 56th over of Bangladesh’s second innings. With this wicket, he completed 50 dismissals in the ongoing 2023–25 WTC cycle.
Throughout his WTC career, Ashwin has been a key player. In the 2019–21 edition, he took 71 wickets in 14 matches, while in the 2021–23 cycle, he picked up 61 wickets in 13 matches. So far, in the 2023–25 cycle, Ashwin has taken 50 wickets in just 10 matches.
Other bowlers, such as Australia’s Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins, and New Zealand’s Tim Southee, have managed 50 or more dismissals in two WTC editions, but Ashwin stands alone in achieving this feat in all three editions.
With 182 wickets in 37 WTC matches to date, Ravichandran Ashwin is close to surpassing Lyon’s record of 187 wickets to become the leading wicket-taker in WTC history. In the ongoing match, Ashwin could also surpass Australia’s Josh Hazlewood as the leading wicket-taker of the current WTC cycle, needing just two more wickets to break Hazlewood’s record of 51 dismissals in 11 matches.
Congratulations Ashwin.
