New Delhi: Ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin scripted history on the Day of the ongoing Test between India and New Zealand by becoming the leading wicket-taker in the World Test Championship (WTC). The 38-year-old off-spinner, who required two wickets in Pune to break Australian spinner Nathan Lyon’s record of 187 wickets, achieved the milestone by dismissing Will Young for 18 runs.
Ashwin had gone level with Lyon by picking up the wicket of Kiwi skipper Tom Latham on the fifth ball of his first over. Ashwin trapped Latham in front of the wickets for 15 runs to pick the first wicket of the match.
The two wickets took Ashwin past his Aussie rival Lyon’s haul of 187 wickets to the top of the list.
Most wickets in World Test Championship (WTC)
Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) – 188*
Nathan Lyon (AUS) – 187
Pat Cummins (AUS) – 175
Mitchell Starc (AUS) – 147
Stuart Broad (ENG) – 134
Kagiso Rabada (SA) – 132
Jasprit Bumrah (IND) – 124*
Tim Soutee (NZ) – 120
James Anderson (ENG) – 116
Ravindra Jadeja (IND) – 114*
Ashwin also went level with Lyon in the all-time Test wickets list. The two wickets helped the Indian spinner equalling Lyon’s mark of 530 wickets in Test cricket as he became the joint seventh leading wicket-taker in Test cricket.
With more than four days of play left in the match, Ashwin is likely to surpass Lyon in the leading wicket-takers list. Sri Lankan spin icon Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for most Test wickets followed by Australia’s Shane Warne, England’s James Anderson, India’s Anil Kumble, England’s Stuart Broad and Australia’s Glenn McGrath.
Most Test wickets
Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) – 800
Shane Warne (AUS) – 708
James Anderson (ENG) – 704
Anil Kumble (IND) – 619
Stuart Broad (ENG) – 604
Glenn McGrath (AUS) – 563
Nathan Lyon (AUS) – 530
Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) – 530*
Meanwhile, New Zealand reached 92/2 at Lunch after winning the toss and opting to bat first in Pune. Devon Conway (47) and Rachin Ravindra (5) were the unbeaten batters in the middle when lunch was taken.
India made three changes in the playing XI as Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav made way for Akash Deep, Washington Sundar and Shubman Gill.
