Ashwin also took the most wickets this calendar year. He took four wickets in the first innings to overtake Pakistan’s young fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi. Shaheen took 44 wickets. Ashwin has taken 51 wickets in eight Tests at an economy rate of 2.36. This includes three five-wicket hauls. Ashwin’s best performance in an innings was six for 61.
In just five calendar years since 2010, an Indian batsman has taken 50 Test wickets a year. It is noteworthy that four of these are named after Ashwin. One-time star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has also taken fifty wickets. In 2015, 16, 17 and 21, Ashwin found 50 victims. In 2017, Jadeja fired 50 people.
Hope for India victory
India are hoping to win the second Test in Mumbai. India set a huge target of 540 for the Kiwis. At stumps on the third day, the Kiwis were 121 for three in 33 overs. Daryl Mitchell (54) and Henry Nichols (25) were at the crease.
The duo added 66 runs for the fourth wicket for the loss of four wickets. This is from 102 balls. With seven wickets in hand, New Zealand needed 419 more runs to win. Skipper Tom Latham (6), Will Young (20) and Ross Taylor (6) were out. R Ashwin took all three wickets.
