Ashwin equals Muralitharan, becomes joint-fastest to reach 350 Test wickets

India’s spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin on Sunday has joined Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan as the fastest bowler to reach 350 Test wickets in the first match against South Africa in Visakhapatnam.

Early in the final day morning of the Test, Ashwin rattled the timbers of overnight unbeaten batsman Theunis de Bruyn for 10 to reach into the milestone in his 66th Test.

Ashwin took just five deliveries to provide India the breakthrough in the fifth day with South Africa chasing an improbable target of 395 runs.

Retired in 2010 with 800 scalps beside his name, Sri Lanka’s all-time great spinner Muralitharan also took the aforementioned number of matches to claim 350 wickets.

The 33-year old Ashwin, who made a comeback to the side with this Test, has so far picked eight wickets in this match including a seven-fer in the first innings which was his 27th five-wicket haul, fifth against South Africa. And with that, Ashwin surpassed Javagal Srinath & Harbhajan Singh who had four each to their name.