Ashwin breaks many records as India clinch victory
It was the sixth time in his career that he picked a five-wicket haul in both the innings of the Test match.
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What a turnaround Ravichandran Ashwin has made! The veteran bowler, who has taken the most wickets for India in World Test Championship, was omitted from the WTC final against Australia at The Oval exactly one month ago. In the three days of the opening Test match against the West Indies at Windsor Park in Roseau, Dominica, he displayed a commanding performance to record a record-setting 12-wicket haul, enabling the visitors to defeat the hosts by an innings in just three days.
In the first innings, he took five wickets for 60 runs, recording his 33rd five-wicket haul and surpassing England legend James Anderson to become the active bowler with the most five-wicket hauls in the format. In the second innings, he enhanced his performance by taking seven wickets and limiting West Indies to 130 runs.
Ashwin has now tied Rangana Herath's record of 34 five-wicket hauls in Tests, placing him one behind the legendary Anil Kumble (35) and in fifth place overall. Ashwin surpassed Harbhajan Singh as the Indian bowler with the most five-wicket hauls in the rivalry, and he now shares the top spot with the legendary Malcolm Marshall.
It was his sixth career five-wicket haul in both innings of a Test match, tying him with Sydney Barnes and placing him third on the all-time list behind Muttiah Muralitharan (11) and Herath (8). Ashwin is the only Indian bowler to accomplish this feat in a Test match in the West Indies.
The five wickets in the second innings also inferred a ten-wicket haul in the Test, Ashwin's eighth in his illustrious career, tying him with Kumble and placing him tied for fifth overall.Ashwin also surpassed the late Australian legend Shane Warne in terms of the number of five-wicket hauls in winning causes. Ashwin's 28 instances are now second only to Muralitharan's 41.
Overall, Ashwin concluded with a bowling figure of 12 for 131, which represents his best match returns in an away Test, the best by an Indian bowler in a Test in West Indies, and the best by a spinner ever.
Rohit Sharma, praising Ashwin-Jadeja Death, taxes, and Ashwin-Jadeja doing it for India on a winding track by themselves. The Indian spin duo has taken 17 of West Indies' 20 wickets over the course of three days.
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"The results speak for themselves; they've been achieving them for some time. It is more important to allow them the latitude to express themselves. The experience that these men possess on such platforms is always a luxury. Rohit Sharma, India's captain, stated in the post-match presentation that both Ashwin and Jadeja were outstanding, but that Ashwin's bowling was especially impressive.
