India and New Zealand are currently engaged in the second Test of the three-match series at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune. It is a must-win game for the host as the Kiwis won the opening game by 8 wickets. A lot will depend on the performance of three spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and comeback man Washington Sundar. In the first session of the day, Ashwin took two big wickets to put the rivals on the back foot.
He now has 188 wickets in the World Test Championship (WTC) and is the all-time leading wicket-taker in WTC, surpassing Nathan Lyon’s tally of 187 scalps.
Bowlers with the most wickets in WTC history
Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – 188
Nathan Lyon (Australia) – 187
Pat Cummins (Australia) – 175
Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 147
Stuart Broad (England) – 134
Ashwin got rid of Tom Latham and Will Young to achieve the record. If Ashwin picks 12 more wickets, he will become the first bowler to reach the 200-wicket mark in the World Test Championship.
Ashwin is also the highest wicket-taker in Test matches at the MCA Stadium in Pune. With two more scalps, he is now the first bowler to take 15 wickets at the venue.
Bowlers with the most wickets at the MCA Stadium in Pune
Ravichandran Ashwin- 15
Steven O’Keefe- 12
Umesh Yadav- 12
Ravindra Jadeja-9
Natha Lyon- 5
India dropped KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav and included Shubman Gill, Akash Deep, and Washington in the playing XI.
India is playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah