Ravichandran Ashwin fastest to 25 5-wicket hauls: Indian off-spinner’s records

Ravichandran Ashwin picked up six wickets to lead India to a dramatic 75-run victory over Australia in the second Test in Bangalore on Tuesday, the win enabling the hosts to level the four-match series at 1-1. The off-spinner, the world’s No. 1 bowler, broke several records en route as India’s leading spinner Anil Kumble watched from the Chinnaswamy dressing room. (HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD)

Ravichandran Ashwin became the fifth highest wicket taker for India in Tests when he bowled Mitchell Starc in Australian second innings on Tuesday. It was Ravichandran Ashwin’s 267th wicket in 88 innings of 47 Tests.

Anil Kumble holds the record of taking the highest number of wickets for India. Kumble took 619 wickets in 236 innings of 132 Tests. Kapil Dev with 434 wickets in 227 innings of 131 Tests is second while Harbhajan Singh is third with 417 wickets in 190 innings of 103 Tests. Zaheer Khan, who took 311 wickets in 165 innings of 92 Tests, is fourth on the list.

The 30-year-old Ashwin, also completed 200 wickets in home Tests in his 30th Test, quickest among the four India bowlers to do so.

Ashwin’s six for 41 was his 25th five-wicket haul in 88 innings of 47 Tests. He is the fastest to 25 five-wicket hauls in Tests. The previous fastest to 25 five-fors in terms of Tests was New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee in 62 matches.

Among India bowlers, Kumble took 86 matches and Harbhajan Singh took 93 matches to do the same. Ashwin is overall the 11th bowler to have 25 or more five-wicket hauls.

Other statistical highlights of the second India vs Australia Test in Bangalore

•India successfully defended the target of 188 against Australia by bowling out visitors for 112 runs in 35.4 overs. It was fifth instance for India having successfully defended targets less than 189 in Tests. Three of these have been against Australia: 107 in Mumbai in 2004-05, 143 in Melbourne in 1980-81 and 188 at Bangalore in the current Test match.

•Josh Hazelwood recorded his best bowling performance in Tests by taking six for 67 in Indian second innings. It was joint fifth best bowling performance by Australian pacers in India. Josh Hazlewood’s previous best bowling was six for 70 against New Zealand at Adelaide in 2015-16.

•The last Australian fast bowler who recorded better figures than Josh Hazlewood’s 6 for 65 was Geoff Dymock, who took 7 for 67 in Kanpur in 1979-80.

•Four different bowlers who took six-wicket hauls in this match, one each innings -- Nathan Lyon, Ravindra Jadeja, Josh Hazlewood and Ravichandran Ashwin. This is the first such instance in the history of Tests. There have been only two more Tests where the bowlers took four six-wicket hauls, both were played more than 100 years ago.

•India’s 75-run victory was the third-biggest for a team defending target of less than 200. India’s previous biggest such win was by 64 runs against South Africa in Ahmedabad in 1996-97, after they set target of 170.

(With inputs from S. Pervez Qaiser)