November 6, 2015: R Ashwin became fastest Indian to bag 150 Test wkts

India’s premier Test spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made a grand return to the playing XI, as the right-arm bowler scalped 15 South African wickets in the recently concluded home series. One of India’s finest spin bowlers to ever play the game, Ravichandran Ashwin has represented India in 68 Tests, 111 ODI’s and 46 T20I’s, taking a combined 559 international wickets across all formats. He was also a part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad under MS Dhoni.

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On this day in 2015, R Ashwin became the fastest Indian to bag 150 Test wickets

South Africa toured India for a full-fledged series in 2015. Before the action shifted to the game’s longest format from November 5, the visitors won both limited-overs series against the hosts. The first Test was played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali and on a spin-friendly wicket, Team India won the toss and elected to bat first.

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In spite of mustering only 201 on Day 1, the Indian team still managed a first-innings lead due to Ashwin’s five-wicket effort. The right-arm spinner picked up 5-51 in 24 overs to rattle the South Africans for just 184. He dismissed last-man Imran Tahir to claim his fifth of the innings which also became his 150th wicket in Test cricket, achieving the milestone in just his 34th Test. He bowled a length ball that ticked the inside edge which was then safely grabbed by close-in fielder Cheteshwar Pujara. He repeated his effort with a three-wicket haul in South Africa’s second innings as Team India went on to win the match by 109 runs. Ashwin ended the series with 31 wickets as the hosts won the first-ever edition of Freedom Trophy, blanking the visitors by a 3-0 margin.

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Bangladesh tour of India 2019

The Bangladesh cricket team is currently on a tour to India to play three T20Is and two Test matches. Ravichandran Ashwin is selected in India’s 15-man squad and will continue to spearhead India’s spin attack after his impressive performance against South Africa last month. The first Test will be played at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on November 14.

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