On Day 6 of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final, between India and New Zealand at Rose Bowl in Southampton, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reached a special landmark when he took the wicket of Kiwi opener Devon Conway.
Conway was Ashwin’s 71st scalp in the WTC cycle 2019-21, and with it, the Tamil Nadu spinner became the highest wicket-taker in the ongoing championship. Ashwin surpassed Australian speedster Pat Cummins, who had taken 70 wickets in this period.
Most wickets in WTC 2019-21:
- 71 – Ravichandran Ashwin
- 70 – Pat Cummins
- 69 – Stuart Broad
Leading up to the WTC final, Ashwin was third on the list with 67 wickets to his credit. In the mega clash against New Zealand, Ashwin has so far taken four scalps (two each in first and second innings).
Earlier, on the final day of the summit clash, Kiwi bowlers exhibited tremendous bowling to pack India’s second innings for 170 runs.
The likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara failed to impress and couldn’t even reach their 20s. While Pujara and Rahane were dismissed at 15, Kohli was removed when he was t 13. Black Caps bowling attack led by Tim Southee dominated the proceedings.
Southee picked up a four-wicket haul for 48 runs from 19 overs, including 4 maidens. At the same time, his partner-in-crime Trent Boult bagged three scalps. Kyle Jamieson, who claimed a fifer in the first innings, earned two wickets, including the big one of Kohli. Neil Wagner picked up the remaining one scalp.
Rishabh Pant was the highest run-getter for India in their second innings. The explosive wicketkeeper-batsman scored 41 runs off 88 deliveries, including four boundaries. Apart from Pant, only Rohit Sharma was able to reach the 30-run mark.
