Playing at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai during the second Test against England, Ravichandran Ashwin claimed his 350th wicket on home turf on day two. By dismissing Ben Stokes, the 34-year-old from Tamil Nadu joined an elite group, becoming the third Indian bowler to reach this milestone after Anil Kumble (476) and Harbhajan Singh (376).
Ashwin has now climbed to second place for the most wickets taken in home Tests with 268, edging past Harbhajan Singh's 265. He still trails Anil Kumble, who maintains the lead with 350 wickets.
Ashwin's Sunday spell saw him outsmart Dom Sibley with a flighted delivery; the opener tried to sweep but was fooled by the extra bounce, sending the ball straight to captain Virat Kohli at leg-slip. Shortly after, Daniel Lawrence fell to an inside edge that was comfortably caught by Shubman Gill at short leg.
To complete his five-wicket haul, Ashwin dismantled England's tail, picking up the wickets of Stuart Broad and Olly Stone. This achievement marks his 29th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, bringing him level with the legendary Glenn McGrath.
He is now just two five-wicket hauls away from surpassing the record of James Anderson—an England pacer who is currently with the squad but sitting out this match. Additionally, Ashwin is closing in on another massive milestone, needing only nine more wickets to reach 400 in Test cricket.