When Ravichandran Ashwin trapped Kane Williamson lbw for 25 on day four of the Kanpur Test, he became the latest entrant to the 200-Test wicket club. Ashwin reached the landmark in 37 Tests, thus making him the second fastest bowler ever in international cricket and the fastest Indian to reach the landmark. Ashwin narrowly missed out on the world record set by Australia's Clarrie Grimmett, who got there in 36 Tests. As for the Indian record, Harbhajan Singh was the previous fastest, getting to the landmark in 46 Tests.
Here’s a look at other Indian bowlers with 200 plus Test wickets, in the order of the number of matches they took to get there
Harbhajan Singh: The Indian off-spinner reached the landmark in 46 Tests, as mentioned before. Unless he adds to his Test appearances, he will finish with 417 wickets in 103 Tests at an average of 32.46 with 25 five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket hauls.
Anil Kumble: The former leggie-turned-coach reached the 200-wicket mark in 47 Tests. Kumble finished with 619 wickets in 132 Tests at an average of 29.65 with 35 five-wicket hauls and 8 ten-wicket hauls.
Bhagwath Chandrasekhar: The Indian legend got to the figure in 48 Tests. Overall, he played 58 Tests, and claimed 242 wickets at an average of 29.74 with 16 five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls.
Kapil Dev: The greatest ever Indian cricketer, Dev reached 200 wickets in exactly 50 Tests. He ended up claiming 434 wickets in 131 matches at an average of 29.64. During his illustrious career, Dev claimed 23 five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls.
Bishan Singh Bedi: The former Indian skipper got to the landmark in 51 matches. Bedi, who played 67 Tests, claimed a total of 266 wickets at an average of 28.71 with 14 five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket hauls.
Javagal Srinath: A great Indian fast bowler, Srinath reached 200 wickets in 54 Tests. He ended up claiming 236 wickets at an average of 30.49 with ten five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket haul.
Zaheer Khan: The Indian legend who retired recently reached 200 wickets in 63 Tests. He ended up his career with 311 wickets in 92 Tests at an average of 32.94 with 11 five wicket-hauls and one ten wicket haul.
Ishant Sharma: Before Ashwin, Ishant was the last Indian to reach the 200-wicket mark. However, he took 65 Tests to get there, almost double the number of games Ashwin has taken. Presently, Ishant, who is down with Chikungunya, has 209 wickets from 72 Tests at a disappointing average of 36.71 with seven five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket haul.
--By A Cricket Analyst
