R Ashwin of India speaks to the media during a press conference at Edgbaston on September 1, 2014 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
The last time India played a Test series at home, R Ashwin returned with a whopping 26 wickets at an average of 24.8 and strike rate of 36.1 - that was more than six months ago when India hammered ‘Bazball’ England 4-1. As the international cricket season gets underway in India again with the hosts set to lock horns with a buoyant Bangladesh unit fresh from a historic 2-0 sweep in Pakistan, all eyes will again be on the champion off-spinner, who is undoubtedly India’s greatest match-winner and series-winner ever in home conditions.
Ahead of the two-Test series which starts at Chepauk in Chennai on the 19th of September, RG looks at 10 numbers which define Ashwin’s stunning record in Test cricket – at home and overall!
363 - Most wickets at home for a spinner after Muralidaran
Ashwin has bagged 363 wickets in 60 Tests in India at an average of 21.15. Amongst all spinners in the history of Test cricket, only the great Muthiah Muralidaran took more wickets in home Tests – the wizard picked 493 wickets in 73 Tests in Sri Lanka at an average of 19.56. Overall, Ashwin is at number 4. James Anderson has a tally of 438 dismissals in 106 matches in England while his long serving partner, Stuart Broad returned with 398 home wickets in 98 Tests.
45.8 - The best bowling strike rate for a spinner at home in Test history
R Ashwin is a legend at home in Test cricket. His bowling strike rate (balls bowled per wicket) of 45.8 is the best ever on home soil for a spinner in Test history! Basically, this means Ashwin is a bigger wicket-taker in India than even Muraidaran was in Sri Lanka (strike rate of 50.8)! In fact, Ashwin’s overall bowling strike rate of 50.7 is also the best for a spinner in Test history (minimum 150 wickets). Stuart MacGill (strike rate of 54), Muralidaran (55), Shane Warne (57.4) and Yasir Shah (58.4) complete the top 5.
9 - Most 20+ wickets in a series at home in Test cricket history
R Ashwin has bagged 20 or more wickets in a home series on as many as 9 occasions, including 30+ on two instances!
Once again, it is only Muralidaran who matches the Indian off-spinner achieving the feat in Sri Lanka nine times too! Interestingly, six of Ashwin’s nine 20+ series-wicket tallies have come against Australia and England (three each) showcasing that he reserves his best for the big opposition units.
2 – A part of the Famous 5 who have picked 30+ wickets in a home series on two occasions
Ashwin returned with 31 wickets against South Africa in the home series in 2015 and bagged 32 wickets against England in 2021. Only four other bowlers have picked 30+ wickets on two occasions in a home series. They are Alec Bedser, Ian Botham, Clarrie Grimmett and Craig McDermott!
10 – Most Series-Defining Performances for a bowler at home in Test cricket
A series-defining performance (or simply SD) is a defining performance by a player in a series. It is given for a high impact performance in a Test which dictates the result of a series – which could be the series-decider or the only result-Test in a series. It is also given for a high impact performance in a Test which helps the respective team to draw level from behind. And last but not the least it is also awarded for sustained excellence in a series and as such a player wins an SD for two (or more) high impact performances in wins in a triumphant series.
Now, Ashwin had as many as 10 SDs in India in 18 series (not counting one-off Test series) – that is a staggering record and a testament of his greatness as a bowler in home conditions. No bowler has been a bigger series-winner at home than Ashwin in Test history! Just for perspective, Muralidaran had 7 SDs in 25 series in Sri Lanka!
28 – Most five-wicket hauls at home after Murali
Ashwin has returned with 28 five-wicket hauls in India in 117 bowling innings. Only Murali with 43 in 132 innings in Sri Lanka has more five-wicket hauls at home. Herath (26), Kumble (25) and Anderson (24) complete the top 5.
10 vs 6 – Ashwin is a bigger series-winner in India then even Kumble
Kumble was India’s biggest series-winner at home in the 1990s – the decade in which India did not lose a Test series on home soil. He returned with 349 wickets in 62 home Tests at an average of 24.5 and strike rate of 58.7. As great a bowler Kumble was at home, Ashwin has been better!
257 vs 213 – Ashwin is a bigger wicket-taker than Jadeja in Tests in India
Ashwin has played 44 Tests in India with Ravindra Jadeja and has picked 257 wickets at a strike rate of 27.1 with 20 fifers and five 10-wicket match-hauls. Jadeja, on the other hand, has bagged 213 wickets in these 44 matches at a strike rate of 53.1 with 11 fifers and two ten-wicket hauls.
256 – The most wickets against left-handers in Test cricket history
Ashwin is a genius against left-handed batters. No bowler in the history of Test cricket has accounted for more left-handers than Ashwin. He has dismissed 256 left-handers in his illustrious Test career at an average of 19.3 and strike rate of 46.6.
98 & 25714 – The second-fastest to 500 Test wickets in terms of Tests played and balls bowled
Ashwin reached the milestone of 500 Test wickets in the third Test against England at Rajkot in February this year. He achieved the feat in 98 Tests making him the second-fastest in terms of number of matches after Muralidaran who reached the milestone in his 87th Test. Ashwin was also the second-fastest in terms of number of deliveries bowled to reach the 500-Club. He took 25714 balls to the landmark. Only Glenn McGrath was quicker reaching there in 25528 deliveries.
Nikhil Narain is a die-hard cricket romantic, published author, and has worked for some of the leading digital websites and broadcasters in India and overseas. An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Nikhil's forte is using data and numbers creatively to weave interesting stories and revolutionize the way cricket statistics are generated and analyzed.
