India vs Australia Test: The opening Border-Gavaskar Test between India and Australia saw a spectacular performance from India’s star bowler, Ravichandran Ashwin. In the second session of Day 3, Australia began their second innings with a 223-run deficit. Unfortunately, the Aussies were unable to withstand the pressure from India’s spinners and were all out in just 32.3 overs.
Ashwin, India’s wrecker-in-chief, took five wickets and sent shockwaves through the Australian team. The off-spinner showed his mastery, outsmarting top players like Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, and Alex Carey. Along with Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami, who each took two wickets, Ashwin helped India secure a massive win by an innings and 132 runs.
Nagpur’s third-day surface proved to be too tough for the Australian batsmen. Ashwin, known for his variations, kept it simple and let the pitch do the work. He drew the Aussie batters forward, bringing the LBW and slips into play, and finished the innings with five wickets for just 37 runs.
During this spell, Ashwin also broke 3 number of records:
1. Fastest Test Fifer in an Innings (by overs bowled)
It was a special performance from India to bowl Australia out in one session, and Ashwin delivered just that. He opened the Indian bowling alongside Shami and claimed his first wicket of Khawaja in his very first over. By the end of his tenth over, Ashwin had taken his 31st five-wicket haul in Tests, making this his fastest fifer in Test cricket (by overs bowled). In 2017, he also took a five-wicket haul against Australia in Bangalore in just 12 overs.
2. Second-most wickets in India vs Australia Test
Ashwin has a special love for playing against Australia, and his performance in the Nagpur Test only solidified that. With eight wickets in the game, the 36-year-old is now the bowler with the second-most wickets in Test matches between India and Australia. He has 97 wickets against Australia (his most against any Test opposition), and is now behind only Indian legend Anil Kumble, who recorded 111 Test wickets against Australia during his career.
3. Most international wickets in wins for India
Ashwin also broke the record for the most number of wickets for India in wins across formats. The legendary spinner took his international wicket tally to an impressive 680 wickets in Nagpur, with 489 of those wickets coming in victories for India. This is the most by any Indian bowler in cricket history, surpassing the previous record held by Anil Kumble, who recorded 486 of his 956 wickets in wins.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Ravichandran Ashwin once again proved why he is considered one of the greatest spinners in Indian cricket history. His masterful performance in the Nagpur Test will be remembered for years to come and will go down as one of his greatest achievements.