“Extraordinary milestone” – PM Modi congratulates Ravichandran Ashwin on taking 500 Test wickets

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Ravichandran Ashwin on completing 500 Test wickets during the third Test between India and England in Rajkot on Friday, February 16.

The 73-year-old lauded the off-spinner for his ‘extraordinary milestone’ on becoming the second-fastest bowler to complete 500 wickets in the format.

For the unversed, Ashwin dismissed Zak Crawley to achieve the landmark. The 37-year-old is only behind former captain Anil Kumble (619) for the record of most wickets for India in Tests.

Tagging Ashwin, Modi wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

“Congratulations to Ravichandran Ashwin on the extraordinary milestone of taking 500 Test wickets! His journey and accomplishments are testament to his skill and perseverance. My best wishes to him as he scales further peaks.”

Overall, only nine bowlers have bagged over 500 wickets in the format. They are Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708), James Anderson (696*), Stuart Broad (604), Glenn McGrath (563), Courtney Walsh (519), and Nathan Lyon (517*).

“I was an accidental spinner" – Ravichandran Ashwin's big revelation after completing 500 wickets in Tests

Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that his first ever Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is the main reason he turned into a spinner. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer told reporters during the press conference after Day 2:

“I was an accidental spinner. I wanted to be a batter all along. Life gave me a chance. When I walked into the CSK dressing room, Muttiah Muralitharan didn't want to bowl (with) the new ball and eventually, I got tossed the new ball.”

Ashwin bagged 90 wickets in 97 matches at an economy rate of 6.46 during his stint at CSK from 2008 to 2015. He then went on to represent Team India across formats, including the ODI, T20I World Cups and World Test Championships.

Meanwhile, England were 207/2 at stumps on Day 2, with Ben Duckett (133 off 118) and Joe Root (nine off 13) at the crease. The visitors are trailing by 238 runs in the first innings.

Batting first, India put up 445 in their first innings. India captain Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja scored 131 (196) and 112 (225), respectively. Debutant Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel also chipped in with 62 (66) and 46 (104), respectively. Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah provided a late flourish with 37 (89) and 26 (28), respectively.

Mark Wood starred with the ball for England, returning with figures of 4/114, while Rehan Ahmed picked up two wickets.

Follow the IND vs ENG Rajkot Test live score and updates here.