Ravichandran Ashwin Makes History as First Bowler to Dismiss 50 Batters in All WTC Editions
Ravichandran Ashwin Makes history as First Bowler to Dismiss 50 Batters in All WTC Editions
Indian spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin made history on september 30 by becoming the first bowler globally to dismiss at least 50 batters in each edition of the World Test championship (WTC). The 38-year-old, currently ranked No. 1 among ICC Test bowlers, achieved this milestone during the second Test against bangladesh at Green Park, Kanpur, by claiming his second wicket of the match.
He dismissed Shakib Al Hasan for nine runs on the final ball of the 56th over, marking his 50th wicket in the ongoing WTC 2023-25 cycle. Ashwin is the second-leading wicket-taker in WTC history, with 71 dismissals in the 2019-21 cycle and 61 in the 2021-23 edition, bringing his total to 50 wickets in just 10 matches of the current cycle.
While Australia’s Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, and New Zealand’s tim southee have each dismissed 50 or more batters in two WTC editions, Ashwin stands alone in achieving this across all three.
With 182 wickets from 37 WTC matches, Ashwin needs just six more dismissals to surpass Lyon’s record of 187 and become the leading wicket-taker in WTC history. Should he take two additional wickets in the ongoing match, he will also surpass Australia’s josh Hazlewood, who has taken 51 wickets in the current cycle.
Current Wicket Leaders in WTC 2023-25
Josh Hazlewood (Australia) – 51
Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – 50*
Pat Cummins (Australia) – 48
Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 48
Chris Woakes (England) – 43
Nathan Lyon (Australia) – 43
Ashwin's second wicket against bangladesh also allowed him to equal former indian pacer Zaheer Khan’s record for the most wickets in India-Bangladesh Tests. Both Ashwin and Zaheer have 31 wickets in their respective matchups against Bangladesh.
In the first Test of the series held in chennai from september 19-22, Ashwin took six wickets for 88 runs. He now needs three more wickets in the first innings to achieve his 38th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, a feat that would break Shane Warne’s record of 37 five-wicket hauls.