In the second Test match of the England tour of India, Ravichandran Ashwin found himself just one wicket away from a significant milestone. Having started the series with only 10 wickets remaining to reach the impressive feat of 500 wickets, he unfortunately fell short by just one. Throughout the series, Ashwin’s performance has been below his usual standards, prompting speculation from Kevin Pietersen that the pressure of achieving this milestone may have affected his game. Pietersen noted that Ashwin deviated from his usual bowling style, opting to bowl around the stump.
Thus far in the series, Ashwin has managed to secure 9 wickets, with his best figures being 3/68 in the first Test. Currently, his average stands at 36.33, with an economy rate of 4.09.
During the 63rd over of England’s second innings, Ashwin was bowling to Tom Hartley. Employing an over the wicket strategy, he delivered a carrom ball, causing Hartley to attempt a reverse sweep. However, the ball ended up popping up behind the wicketkeeper, leading to a catch by Rohit Sharma. The entire team erupted in celebration, believing that Ashwin had successfully achieved his 500th wicket.
Unfortunately, Hartley decided to review the decision, and the ultra-edge technology revealed that the ball had missed his bat and made contact with his hand instead. The umpires then proceeded to check for LBW, which indicated that the impact and hitting were in line with the umpire’s call, resulting in a not out decision.
When Sharma inquired about why Hartley was not given out despite the initial on-field call, the umpire clarified that the out decision was made solely for the catch and not for the LBW. As a result, Ashwin remained stuck at 499 wickets, narrowly missing out on the milestone.