World No. 1 Test bowler Ravichandran Ashwin matched the legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s record for the most Player of the Series awards in Test cricket history on Tuesday (October 1) by securing his 11th award. Ashwin was recognized as the standout player in the recent two-match Test series between India and Bangladesh. The 38-year-old spinner scored a total of 114 runs across two innings and took 11 wickets over four innings.
Although Ashwin went wicketless in the first innings of the Chennai Test, he made a significant impact in the second innings, claiming six wickets for 88 runs. In the second Test at Green Park in Kanpur, he took two wickets in the first innings and three in the second.
Muralitharan achieved this accolade during his 18-year career, participating in 61 series for Sri Lanka and winning the Player of the Series award 11 times. In contrast, Ashwin, who made his Test debut in 2011, has played in only 42 series so far.
Most Player of the Series Awards in Tests:
– Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)– 11
– Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – 11
– Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 9
– Imran Khan (Pakistan) – 8
-Richard Hadlee (New Zealand) – 8
– Shane Warne (Australia) – 8
In terms of Indian players, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are tied for second place with five Player of the Series awards each. Virat Kohli has earned the honor three times, while Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, and Rahul Dravid each concluded their careers with four awards.
During the India-Bangladesh Test series, Ashwin’s performance overshadowed that of star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who also dismissed 11 batters but had fewer runs to his name.
In the first Test, Ashwin batted at No. 8 and scored 113 runs off 133 balls, forming a vital 199-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja for the seventh wicket to help India recover from 144 for 6 and finish with a total of 376 runs.
Additionally, Ashwin set multiple bowling records during the series and became only the second player in history to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in the World Test Championship (WTC).