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Ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared images of the media box at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot ahead of the third Test, which starts on February 15. The 37-year-old shared pictures of Lord’s and Saurashtra stadiums with the similar oval-shaped media boxes present in both venues.
The media box at Lord’s is also known as the JP Morgan Media Centre. It was designed by Elliot Wood in 1999 and completed in 2017, with the construction cost estimated to be around £4 million.
On Monday, February 12, Ashwin wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
“Media box at the @saucricket ground. Media box at the Lord’s cricket ground.”
Following its renovation, the venue will be rechristened as Niranjan Shah Stadium, named after ex-first-class cricketer and senior administrator. As per reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Jay Shah, would inaugurate the new stadium in Khanderi.
The stadium has a capacity of 28,000 and has previously hosted two Tests so far. The previous Test between India and England in 2016 at the venue ended in a draw. At the venue, Ashwin has picked up nine wickets in two Tests.
Ravichandran Ashwin one wicket away from 500 Test scalps
Ravichandran Ashwin, meanwhile, is only one wicket away from becoming the only second bowler with 500 scalps for India in Tests. Former India captain Anil Kumble is the leading wicket-taker for India with 619 wickets in his illustrious career.
Other players to take over 500 international Test wickets are Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warner (708), James Anderson (695*), Stuart Broad (604), Glenn McGrath (563), Courtney Walsh (519) and Nathan Lyon (517*).
Ashwin has bagged nine wickets in the two Tests against England. The off-spinner will now look to continue his sublime form against the visitors. Overall, Ashwin has bagged 97 wickets against England in 21 Tests, including six five-wicket hauls.
The 37-year-old recently eclipsed BS Chandrasekhar (95 scalps) for most wickets against the English side in the format. That came as he scalped three wickets in the second Test as India won by 106 runs to level the five-match Test series 1-1.
