Ashwin becomes first Indian bowler to dismiss father and son in his Test career

ROSEAU (DOMINICA)— Senior Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin achieved a rare distinction of getting the wickets of both father and son in his illustrious Test career when he dismissed Tagenarine Chanderpaul on the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies.

Ashwin, who had made his Test debut in 2011 in New Delhi, had dismissed Tagenarine’s father Shivnarine Chanderpaul during his maiden appearance in the longest format.

Ashwin had trapped Chanderpaul senior plumb in-front in the second innings of that Test match which happened 12 years back.

Ashwin, who had 474 Test wickets before this match, bowled young Tagenarine with a beauty and became only fifth bowler in world cricket to dismiss both father and son during his career.

Funnily, it is the Chanderpauls, who feature thrice in the list of the father and son duo dismissed by same bowler.

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc and South Africa’s off-spinner Simon Harmer are the other two bowlers who had dismissed Shivnarine and Tagenarine.

May be it has got to do with Chanderpaul senior’s longevity as he retired as late as 2015, while his son made his debut in Tests last year.

The other two bowlers to achieve the feat are England all-rounder Ian Botham and Pakistan legend Wasim Akram.

Their feat was also eerily similar as they dismissed the New Zealand father son duo of Lance and Chris Cairns.

Going into lunch on day one of the opening Test, Ashwin had already picked up 699 international wickets across formats with 476 of them coming in Tests.