Ravichandran Ashwin passed legendary off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to become India’s third-highest all-time wicket-taker in Test cricket on Monday. On the fifth day of the ongoing first Test between India and New Zealand at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium, he accomplished this accomplishment.
To accomplish the milestone, he dismissed Kiwi vice-captain, Tom Latham. Before the first Test, Ashwin needed five wickets to equal Harbhajan Singh’s 417 wickets in the game’s longest format.
Surpassing the 3rd Ranker
Ashwin had taken three wickets in the first innings, bringing his total to 416. To accomplish the milestone, he dismissed Kiwi vice-captain, Tom Latham. Before the first Test, Ashwin needed five wickets to equal Harbhajan Singh’s 417 wickets in the game’s longest format.
India set a tough target of 284 runs for New Zealand in the first Test after declaring their second innings on 234/7. On Day 5, the Kiwis were 79/1 at lunch until Umesh Yadav gave India the breakthrough they needed on the first ball of the second session.
The visitors were then three down thanks to Ashwin’s victory over Latham. It will be interesting to see if the Indian bowlers can work their magic with just over two hours of play remaining. In the first innings, India had scored 345 runs before Axar Patel’s five-for bowled the Kiwis out for 296, trailing India by 49 runs.
Future Goals
Ashwin will now attempt to surpass former India captain Kapil Dev’s 434 wickets to become the country’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. With 619 wickets, Anil Kumble is at the top of the list.
R Ashwin has 625 wickets in 241 appearances for India across all formats. With 687 wickets across all formats, Kapil Dev is the country’s third-highest wicket-taker. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh have 711 and 956 scalps, respectively.
With 800 wickets, Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for most Test wickets among all bowlers. With 708 scalps, Australia’s Shane Warne sits in the second position. With 632 wickets, pacer James Anderson is in the third position. With 563 wickets, Glenn McGrath is also in the top five.
Ashwin now needs three wickets to surpass Shaun Pollock (421 wickets) of South Africa, and a couple more wickets to surpass Richard Hadlee (431).
Read: INDIA VS NEW ZEALAND Test 1, Day 4: The Black caps need 280 runs in 4 overs
