Most Player of the Series awards in Tests

Test cricket is seen as the ultimate format of the game and it demands high levels of fitness throughout the five days. Patience is an underestimated word in Test cricket and it is a massive achievement for a player to bag the Player of the Series award in the longer format. It takes a lot of consistent effort to do so. On that note, let us look at the top three names with the most player of the series awards in Tests.

Jacques Kallis

South Africa’s legendary batter Jacques Kallis is considered to be among the greatest all-rounders of all time and he had a phenomenal record in the red-ball format. With 13289 runs in 166 Tests at an average of 55.4, Kallis had a terrific technique and he hit 45 centuries alongside 58 half-centuries in the format. He also managed to pick up 292 wickets with the ball and picked up nine player of the series awards which is the joint second most in Tests.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin has become one of the dominant forces in Test cricket and he is arguably, among the best spinners going around in the world at the moment. The veteran spinner can contribute with the bat down the order and he has picked up 442 wickets in just 86 Tests at a stunning average of 24.13. He already has 30 five-wicket hauls to his name and is almost unplayable in the home conditions. He is joint second in the list with nine Player of the Series awards in Tests.

Muttiah Muralidharan

Muttiah Muralidharan still holds the record for the most number of Tests and ODI wickets and he has set a unique benchmark which is unlikely to be broken anytime soon. The former Sri Lankan off-spinner picked up 800 wickets in 133 Tests at an average of 22.72 and picked up 67 five-wicket hauls in his Test career. He was a nightmare for the batters in Sri Lankan conditions and no wonder, he has bagged 11 Player of the Series awards, the most by any player.