India’s Ravichandran Ashwin.
| Photo Credit: AP

R. Ashwin hailed India’s current bowling riches and hoped that the legacy of the current generation would inspire the next set of bowlers to take it forward.

“Each of those bowlers that bowl alongside me has the ability to hold on to a game, bowl with discipline and yet produce wicket-taking balls,” said Ashwin, who clinched a record-equalling 11th Player-of-the-Series award for his all-round effort.

Belief

“It is not just their ability alone. It is also the belief of the entire team. When Rohit says that you make 400 to try and make a game out of it, it tells you that the captain believes the bowlers will get the job done. These bowlers have done it day in and day out. And they have the ability to pick 20 wickets. The bowling attack is quite special, and I hope that this legacy of bowling is taken forward,” he added.

Explaining how India fashioned this remarkable win in under two days, Ashwin revealed that the aim was to have at least 70 to 80 overs to bowl out Bangladesh again.

“When we gathered inside, he mentioned that we would go hammer and tongs and try to make 400 runs in probably 50 overs. In that bargain, if we got bowled out of less than 200, it was okay because we made a game of it. Saying that is one, and when he said that, we knew how Yashasvi would play. But Rohit walked out and tonked the first ball for a six.”

“When you walk the talk, I think the dressing room has no choice but to follow that pattern. We had 50 runs in three overs, and there was no looking,” Ashwin remarked.

When asked about breaking Muttiah Muralitharan’s record for most Player of the Series awards, the 38-year-old insisted that cherishing memories is more important than records.

“I do not have an answer for that. But I would like to do it at a special occasion,” said Ashwin. “Probably if I end up with that, it’s great. But these are not things that motivate me any more, honestly. For me, the love of the game is something that I have harped upon repeatedly. It makes a world of difference for me to enjoy what I do. I am so glad I have gotten here. I would like to retain that happiness.”

Virat Kohli became the second Indian cricketer to have breached the 27,000-run mark in international cricket and stands fourth in the table which is led by Sachin Tendulkar.
| Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena

Indian batsman Virat Kohli on Monday (September 30, 2024) became only the fourth player in history to complete 27,000 runs in international cricket across formats, a feat that he achieved on the fourth day of the ongoing second Test against Bangladesh here.

Kohli made a brisk 47 off 35 balls with four fours and a six as he helped India push on further in an aggressive mode to make up for the lost time in the Test due to incessant rains.

He is only the second Indian cricketer to have breached the 27,000-run mark and stands fourth in the list for most international runs across formats, which is headed by Sachin Tendulkar with 34,357 runs.

In between the two Indian batting greats are Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara with 28,016 runs at the second spot and Australia’s Ricky Ponting at the third, with 27,483 runs.

Kohli, who has a little over 8,870 runs in Tests, has 13,906 runs in 295 ODIs and another 4,188 runs in 125 T20Is — a format from which he retired after helping India win the T20 World Cup in June this year.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote on X, “Another towering milestone in the illustrious career of Virat Kohli as he crosses 27,000 international runs! Your passion, consistency, and hunger to excel are inspiring to the cricketing world. Congratulations @imVkohli, the journey continues to inspire millions!”

In his 24-year-old career for India, Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs in 200 Tests, which is the most for any batter. In 463 ODIs, the Little Master made 18,426 runs while he scored 10 in the only T20I that he ever played.