Ravichandran Ashwin etched another record to his name after he claimed three wickets on Day 1 of the second Test against New Zealand in Pune on Thursday, October 24, 2024.
Ashwin's 3/64 helped him take his wickets tally to 531 wickets in 104 Tests, overtaking Australian spinner Nathan Lyon (530 wickets in 129 Tests) to become the seventh highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Ashwin now has the most wickets in Test cricket by an active player.
The 38 year old in the second highest-wicket taker by an Indian player behind Anil Kumble, who finished with 619 wickets from 132 Tests.
Overall, Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan is the highest wicket-taker in Tests, with 800 wickets from 133 Tests, followed by the late Australian great Shane Warne, who tallied 708 wickets during his 145 Test career.
England's James Anderson (704 wickets) is the only other bowler to have gone past the 600 wickets mark in Tests.
Top 10 wicket takers in Test cricket:
| Bowlers | Matches | Wickets | Avg | S/R | 5WI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) | 133 | 800 | 22.72 | 55.04 | 67 |
| Shane Warne (Australia) | 145 | 708 | 25.41 | 57.49 | 37 |
| James Anderson (England) | 188 | 704 | 26.45 | 56.87 | 32 |
| Anil Kumble (India) | 132 | 619 | 29.65 | 65.99 | 35 |
| Stuart Broad (England) | 167 | 604 | 27.68 | 55.79 | 20 |
| Glenn McGrath (Australia) | 124 | 563 | 21.64 | 51.95 | 29 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (India) | 104* | 531 | 23.78 | 50.47 | 37 |
| Nathan Lyon (Australia) | 129 | 530 | 30.28 | 61.81 | 24 |
| Courtney Walsh (West Indies) | 132 | 519 | 24.44 | 57.84 | 22 |
| Dale Steyn (South Africa) | 93 | 439 | 22.95 | 42.38 | 26 |
