India offie Ashwin on the verge of scaling 'Peak 500'

India’s Ravichandran Ashwin attends a practice session in Rajkot yesterday. Pic/AFP

After going wicketless in the first innings of the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets in the second to move from 496 to 499 wickets in his Test career. He was stuck on 499 for a while before skipper Rohit Sharma took him off the attack. However, when the last pair of Tom Hartley and James Anderson were in the middle, Ashwin was given one final try to reach the landmark, but could not succeed.

Ashwin has been a champion bowler in India, with 346 wickets in 57 matches at an average of 21.27 and a strike rate of 46.80. However, he has fallen back in the pecking order when India play overseas with Ravindra Jadeja being the preferred spinner.

Ash's 98th Test

Ashwin is certain to take his 500th Test wicket in his 98th Test, beginning on Thursday, at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot, which will be renamed the Niranjan Shah Stadium, after the former BCCI secretary, on Wednesday. When Ashwin reaches wicket No. 500, he will be the ninth player in the elite list, and only the second Indian after Anil Kumble (619). Ashwin will be the third off-spinner to get there after table-topper Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka (800) and Nathan Lyon of Australia (517), and the fifth spinner overall including leg-spinners Shane Warne (708) and Kumble.

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Rajkot is traditionally known for its batting tracks. The surface on Tuesday, though, had a green cover, which made England vice-captain and No. 3 batsman Ollie Pope remark: "Looks a pretty good pitch with slightly more grass on it. Will wait till the Indian team have a look and see if they want to put some more water on it or shave the grass off. At the minute, it looks a good wicket."

India's left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav echoed similar views. Yadav, who played in the Visakhapatnam Test and took four wickets, earned his maiden Test five-wicket haul here against the Windies five seasons ago.

Kuldeep praises pitch

"The Rajkot wicket is always good, be it for T20, one-dayers or Tests. The last Test I played here [v WI], it was a good batting wicket."

Whatever be the nature of the surface, Ashwin is certain to reach his 500th wicket here over the next few days. A feat well deserved.