The first Test match between India and Sri Lanka, which is set to take place at Mohali’s Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium from Friday (March 4), will be a historic occasion for Indian cricket as ex-captain Virat Kohli completes 100 Test matches. He will become the 12th Indian to complete a century of games in the longest format of the game.
However, it is a game which could prove a memorable one for Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as he is on the verge of overtaking former India captain Kapil Dev in the list of most wickets taken in Test cricket by an Indian bowler. Kapil had ended his career with 434 Test wickets while Ashwin has 430 scalps in red-ball cricket to his name.
If Ashwin manages to upstage Kapil Dev in the elite list, he will be second in the list of most wickets taken by an Indian bowler in Test cricket. Legendary Spinner Anil Kumble tops the list with 619 scalps; which is the fourth highest in world cricket.
Most wickets taken by an Indian bowler in Test cricket
Anil Kumble- 619
Kapil Dev- 434
Ravichandran Ashwin- 430
Harbhajan Singh- 417
Ashwin had only recently overtaken Harbhajan Singh in India’s home Test series against New Zealand last year. Currently, the 35-year-old finds himself second in the list of Indian spinner with most wickets in Test cricket and first as far as off-spinners are concerned.
Ashwin made his Test debut for India in 2011 against West Indies and has an incredible record having taken 430 wickets in just 84 Test matches at an average of 26.8. He also has five centuries to his name in red-ball cricket with the latest one coming at his home ground of Chennai against England last year.
Recently, he earned a comeback to India’s limited-overs team after a gap of four years for the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup. Ashwin missed the home series against West Indies and Sri Lanka due to an injury.
