IND vs ENG: Ashwin on cusp of making history; inches away from three massive records

Ashwin, who had travelled to England late after testing positive for the virus, picked up two crucial wickets in the warm-up game against Leicestershire.

Playing his first game following his recovery from Covid-19, senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up two wickets in the warm-up match against Leicestershire that eventually ended in a draw. Ashwin, who had travelled to England late after testing positive for the virus, bowled 11 overs and conceded 31 runs, improving his chances of making it to the playing eleven for the rescheduled fifth Test against England, beginning Friday (July 1).

Ravichandran Ashwin (L) and Anil Kumble

The 35-year-old Ashwin first removed Shubman Gill and then snared the wicket of opposition skipper Samuel Evans, with KS Bharat pulling off a swift stumping behind the sticks. It remains to be seen whether the team management picks Ashwin as a second spinner alongside Ravindra Jadeja or goes with a fast-bowling all-rounder in Shardul Thakur.

Ashwin is just eight plucks away from becoming the highest wicket-taker for India against England. He will surpass BS Chandrasekhar (95 wickets) and Anil Kumble (92 wickets) on the panel. The seasoned tweaker from Chennai can also become the third Indian to score 3,000 runs and take 100 wickets in men's Test cricket. He is 69 runs away from the milestone.

Ashwin is also on the cusp of becoming the second Indian player after Kumble to reach 450 Test wickets. He is just eight wickets away from 450 Test scalps.

Earlier, he had surpassed Harbhajan Singh (417 wickets) and Kapil Dev (434) to jump to second spot on the list of top wicket-takers for India in the longest format.

Overall, Ashwin is eighth in the club for most Test wickets by a player. Muttiah Muralitharan leads the list with 800 wickets, followed by Shane Warne and James Anderson with 708 and 651 plucks respectively. Ashwin has 442 Test wickets under his belt.

The upcoming fifth Test will be a continuation of the long-delayed series which India lead 2-1. The clash is a rescheduled finale of the series that took place last year when India postponed the last Test due to Covid concerns.

The Test in Birmingham comes just four days after England completed a 3-0 rout of Test world champions New Zealand.

While England look to carry the winning momentum, India sweat over the non-availability of skipper Rohit. The Indian skipper has been in isolation since testing positive for Covid-19 last week.

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been appointed as stand-in captain. Under Bumrah, India can win their first Test series in England since 2007 should they avoid defeat.