R Ashwin becomes India’s 3rd highest wicket-taker in Tests, Harbhajan Singh applauds

R Ashwin is only behind Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev in terms of the number of wickets for India in whites.

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Monday became India’s third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket when he picked up the wicket of New Zealand batsman Tom Latham on the final day of the series opener.

Latham (52 off 146 balls), scored a fine half-century before Ashwin’s delivery from around the wicket kept low and he chopped it onto the stumps.

With that wicket, Ashwin crossed Harbhajan Singh’s tally (417 in 103 games) to become the third-highest wicket-taker for India in the five-day format. Ashwin achieved the landmark in his 80th Test.

“I would like to congratulate Ashwin on his milestone. Well done and hope he wins many more matches for India,” Harbhajan told PTI.

“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 said.

Only Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev have taken more wickets for India in the whites than Ashwin (418).

In the same day, Ashwin also became India’s highest wicket-taker in Test cricket against New Zealand by breaking the record of Bishan Singh Bedi. With a couple of wickets in the first session of Day 5, Ashwin now has 58 wickets against Kiwis in his 10th Test (15th innings).  The veteran off-spinner went past Bedi’s tally of 57 wickets from 12 Tests (22 innings) with the wicket of Tom Latham  and Tom Blundell .

(With PTI inputs)

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