Ravichandran Ashwin has become only the second cricketer to complete the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). The 38-year-old achieved the feat on Day 1 of the first India vs Bangladesh Test being played at Chepauk, Chennai. (Highlights | Streaming | Report)
Under overcast conditions on Thursday morning, India captain Rohit Sharma lost the toss and by the 10th over, the hosts had lost their top three -- Rohit (6 off 19), Shubman Gill (0 off 8) and Virat Kohli (6 off 6).
After a brief rebuilding, Rishabh Pant too fell for a 52-ball 39, becoming Hasan Mahmud's fourth wicket. It was followed by the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal (56 off 118) and KL Rahul (16 off 52).
A rather poor outing from India's top order necessitated veteran Ashwin's presence in the middle sooner than expected. When he joined Ravindra Jadeja, India were in a precarious position at 144/6 in the 43rd over.
But the famed Ashwin-Jadeja duo stitched an unbeaten seventh-wicket stand of 195 runs in 227 balls. Ashwin, who turned 38th a couple of days ago, presented himself a nice belated birthday gift by slamming a sixth Test century. He was unbeaten on 102 off 112 balls at stumps.
And Ashwin achieved the 1000-run and 100-wicket double in the ICC World Test Championship when he reached the score of 52 on Day 1 of the first India vs Bangladesh Test. He now has 1050 runs and 174 wickets in 36 (including this fixture) WTC matches.
Who's the first cricketer to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in WTC?
Ravindra Jadeja, not so surprisingly! The sword-wielding Indian all-rounder completed this rare World Test Championship double earlier this year during the home series against England.
The 35-year-old was unbeaten on 86 off 117 as India closed the opening day's play at 339/6 in 80 overs. He now has 1637 runs and 102 wickets in 32 (including this match) WTC outings.
What Is the ICC World Test Championship?
The ICC World Test Championship, launched in 2019, is by default the World Cup of Test cricket. Thanks to the nature of the format and ICC's window, it follows a cycle with each edition lasting a couple of years, at least.
Take the case of the 2023-25 edition, which started with England's tour of Australia in June 2023. The final, between the two top teams after the league stage, is scheduled for June 11 to 15, 2025 at Lord's, London.
The WTC is competed amongst nine full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC): Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. The three remaining full members, Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe, are not part of the WTC, for now.
