Ashwin's 500 Test wickets landmark: Cricket fraternity applauds India's milestone man; 'Anna' memes explodes

By Sunita Iyer | First Published Feb 16, 2024, 4:05 PM IST

Joining retired Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralidaran (800) and Australia's Nathan Lyon (517), Ravichandran Ashwin becomes only the third off-spinner to reach the 500-wicket mark.

Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin joined an elite club on Friday, becoming the second Indian bowler after former captain Anil Kumble to claim 500 Test wickets during the third Test against England in Rajkot. Ashwin's achievement also marks him as only the third off-spinner in history to reach this milestone. Notably, he stands as the second highest wicket-taker for India, trailing behind Kumble, who concluded his career with 619 wickets.

The 37-year-old achieved this milestone on the second day of the ongoing Test match. Requiring just one wicket to reach the feat, Ashwin dismissed opener Zak Crawley, who mistimed a sweep shot, resulting in a catch by Rajat Patidar at short fine leg.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩! 👏 👏

Take A Bow, R Ashwin 🙌 🙌

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/FM0hVG5pje | | | pic.twitter.com/XOAfL0lYmA

— BCCI (@BCCI)

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

India had earlier been bowled out for 445 runs in their first innings.

Joining retired Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralidaran (800) and Australia's Nathan Lyon (517), Ashwin becomes only the third off-spinner to reach the 500-wicket mark. He is also the ninth bowler overall to achieve this milestone in the traditional Test format, achieving it in his 97th Test match.

ASHWIN in the prestigious 500 club 🌟 pic.twitter.com/O7bjYZNDnt

— Venkatramanan (@VenkatRamanan_)

Since making his Test debut in 2011, Ashwin has undergone a remarkable journey. Originally an engineering graduate from Chennai, he initially pursued batting and medium pace bowling before a back injury during his teenage years steered him towards off-spin.

Following the era of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, Ashwin faced the challenge of filling their big shoes, a task he undertook with remarkable consistency. Impressively, he claimed nine five-wicket hauls in his first 16 Tests, swiftly becoming the fastest to join the 300 wickets club.

Ashwin's versatility extends beyond Test cricket; he has also made significant contributions in the shorter formats. With 156 wickets in 116 ODIs and 72 wickets in 65 T20 Internationals, he has proven his worth across all formats of the game.

Kumble, Tendulkar and more congratulate Ashwin

Following this historic feat, several former cricketers took to X, formerly Twitter, to congratulate the off-spinner.

Legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble, whose company Ashwin joined today with the 500th Test wicket said, "A champion bowler who never stops to learn. Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on this monumental achievement! Wonderful to see another Indian spinner joining the club."

"500 Test wickets for a one-in-a-million bowler! In AshWIN the SpinNER, there was always a WINNER. 500 wickets is a huge milestone in Test cricket. Congratulations, Champion!" wrote legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar.

Dinesh Karthik too congratulated Ashwin for yet another milestone stating, "From Chennai to the cricketing cosmos, @ashwinravi99's journey to 500 Test wickets is a saga of grit, guile, and unrivaled skill. A monumental achievement that cements his legacy in the annals of cricketing history. Bravo, Ashwin!"

A champion bowler who never stops to learn. Congratulations on this monumental achievement! Wonderful to see another Indian spinner joining the club.

— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074)

500 Test wickets for a one-in-a-million bowler!

In AshWIN the SpinNER, there was always a WINNER. 500 wickets is a huge milestone in Test cricket. Congratulations, Champion! pic.twitter.com/Cb48ZJE3XO

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt)

From Chennai to the cricketing cosmos, 's journey to 500 Test wickets is a saga of grit, guile, and unrivaled skill. A monumental achievement that cements his legacy in the annals of cricketing history.
Bravo, Ashwin! pic.twitter.com/R7hNC7QV9M

— DK (@DineshKarthik)

Climbed the Mount 500. What an incredible achievement!!!

Awesome Ashwin 🙌

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash)

This is brilliant from Duckett .. love watching him Bat .. But how he has been allowed to get to over 50 without facing Ashwin is bonkers ..

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan)

Ashwin scale Mount 500! Mighty achievement by a fantastic bowler

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah)

.'s journey to 500 Test wickets is a masterclass in bowling excellence with relentless hard work and extraordinary talent🤌🏾 One of the finest students of the game joins the elite group. Congratulations Ash!👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/7Sw5F6V7Rx

— Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa)

From watching him from his earlier days to seeing him today picking 500 wickets. The Journey is simply sensational 👌🏻 Sharing my thoughts on his career so far https://t.co/ipLS6ymKlI

— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath)

not only has 500 while bowling, but also 5 100s when batting.
No other bowler with 500 wickets has scored even 2 centuries.
Now, that's special.

— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats)

Meanwhile, a meme fest exploded on X, with several users appreciating their favourite 'Anna's' landmark moment with images and GIFs.

𝐀𝐬𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲 😎🔥

Ashwin becomes the second Indian to reach 500 wickets in men's Tests 👏 pic.twitter.com/KYHwfNhdh9

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers)

Plot: A notorious Master pulls off a 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ wickets worth of a heist in Test Cricket following a cat-and-mouse game between him and world batters 🍿 pic.twitter.com/36sPUpf3gg

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals)

Congratulations Ravichandran Ashwin on 500 test wickets pic.twitter.com/yrhS4MZqMa

— Sagar (@sagarcasm)

Ashwin Anna 500 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ewI80jP3c0

— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1)

Ashwin supremacy 👽 pic.twitter.com/ovthx4NoyW

— Cricket fan (@Cricket_fan2602)

Congratulations Anna for you 500 international test wickets pic.twitter.com/0MTzl9MYKg

— Rajesh kumar (@rajeshkumarp29)

Ravi Ashwin is the fastest Indian in Test cricket to:

50 wickets, 100 wickets, 150 wickets, 200 wickets, 250 wickets, 300 wickets, 350 wickets, 400 wickets, 450 wickets and now 500 wickets. 🐐

What a bowler Ash Anna 🫡 pic.twitter.com/HQXq5vnzpb

— Cricket Page (@CricketPage3)

Ashwin Anna is the only Youtuber with 500 Test Wickets in Cricket World! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/niUoRmsU4o

— 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙮 (@hardy0_9)

Ashwin Anna after taking 500 wickets pic.twitter.com/lkfYromVKo

— 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙮 (@hardy0_9)

Ashwin Anna, the real Thalaivar! 🔥🙌🏼
#500 pic.twitter.com/H7Sgp0bUmf

— Ganesh Shelke (@ganeshshelke272)

For more reliable and latest news