R Ashwin turns 34: BCCI celebrates spinner's birthday with this special video; watch

Ravichandran Ashwin (R Ashwin) is widely regarded as one of the best contemporary spinners in the world. He made his international debut back in 2010 as a 24-year-old and was part of the ‘Men in Blue’ squad that lifted the 2011 World Cup at home. He was also a potent figure of the Indian set-up that remained No.1 in ICC World Test rankings between 2016 and 2020.

The veteran off-spinner turned 34 on Thursday, September 17. Wishes came pouring in for the cricketer and even the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) celebrated the occasion by sharing an archival footage of the Test specialist. To commemorate the 34th R Ashwin birthday, here is a look at BCCI’s special video for the wily veteran.

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BCCI celebrates R Ashwin birthday

On the 34th R Ashwin birthday, the BCCI shared a highlights video of one of his remarkable spells from the past. The video in contention is from South Africa’s 3-Test tour to India in October 2019. In the first match of the series played at Vishakhapatnam, R Ashwin claimed figures of 7-145 against the Proteas batsmen on an absolute batting paradise.

R Ashwin bowled 46.2 overs in South Africa’s first innings of the match and his victims included batsmen like Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock and captain Faf du Plessis himself. Interestingly, the right-arm spinner claimed his 350th Test wicket in the same match to become the joint-fastest bowler in the world to do so (in terms of number of matches) alongside former Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. India eventually ended up winning the match by 203 runs.

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R Ashwin birthday, watch BCCI’s archival video for the cricketer

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R Ashwin wickets in international cricket

The R Ashwin wickets tally in international cricket comprises of some staggering numbers. Across his 71 Test appearances, the legendary spinner claimed 365 wickets at an impressive average of 25.43 with 27 five-wicket and seven ten-wicket hauls. He is currently the fourth-highest wicket-taker for India in the format. The R Ashwin wickets inventory also includes an additional 150 ODI and 52 T20I wickets for a collective baggage of 577 international scalps.

IPL 2020: R Ashwin in Delhi Capitals

R Ashwin is currently in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he is slated to play for the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season. The tournament is scheduled to commence from September 19 onwards. The upcoming IPL 2020 season will mark R Ashwin’s first seasonal outing for the franchise.

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Image source: BCCI Twitter