KANPUR: Seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Monday went past Harbhajan Singh to become the third highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket, reaching the mark in his 80th match.
The legendary Anil Kumble tops the chart with 619 scalps and is followed by India's first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev, who has a total of 434 wickets under his name.
The 35-year-old Ashwin drew level with Harbhajan (417 in 103 games), who remains one of India's finest spinners, when he took the wicket of New Zealand opener Will Young towards the end of the fourth day in the opening Test in Kanpur.
The spinner dismissed Tom Latham to get his 418th Test wicket on the fifth and final day, before he followed it up with the wicket of Tom Blundell to finish with 3/35 in 30 overs. In New Zealand's first innings, he had registered figures of 3/82 in 42.3 overs, helping the hosts gain a handy 49-run lead by bowling out the opposition for 296.
"I would like to congratulate Ashwin on his milestone. Well done and hope he wins many more matches for India," Harbhajan said.
"I never believed in comparisons. We played our best cricket in different times, against different opposition. I had done my best for the country back then and ditto for Ashwin, he did his best now," the former India spinner added.
Ashwin is the fourth Indian bowler to take more than 400 wickets in Test cricket. He also became the 13th highest Test wicket-taker of all time, moving past Pakistani fast bowling great Wasim Akram (414) as well apart from Harbhajan. Agencies
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