Ishant Sharma takes 300th Test wicket: Third India pacer to go past the landmark

Chennai, February 8: Ishant Sharma achieved a major landmark in his career as he grabbed his 300th Test wicket on Monday (February 6) during the fourth day of the first Test against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Ishant, playing his 98th Test, trapped England's Dan Lawrence plumb in front to join a select club of pacers in which India have only two other members.

Former Indian skipper Kapil Dev was the first Indian pacer, in fact the first Indian bowler too, to cross the 300-mark. He played 131 Tests and ended up with 434 wickets, a then world record tally. Zaheer Khan became the second Indian quick to achieve the distinction and the left-arm quick bagged 311 wickets from 91 Tests in his career.

Ishant also has played 80 ODIs, plucking 115 wickets and from 14 T20Is, the right-arm pacer has 8 wickets, and at present he has 423 international wickets, a creditable effort for a pacer who generally struggled to take wickets in the initial period of his career despite bowling some good spells.

The ongoing first Test against England is Ishant's 98th Test. Overall, Ishant is the sixth Indian bowler to take 300 Test wickets. Kapil Dev, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh R Ashwin are the other five bowlers who have taken 300 wickets in Test cricket for India.

Ishant had missed the four-match Test series against Australia, and now he has made a comeback in the England series and was picked ahead of Mohammed Siraj, who was vastly impressive in the series against Australia.

Earlier on day four, Washington Sundar played an unbeaten knock of 85 runs as England bowled out India for 337 in the first session. As a result, India gave the visitors a lead of 241 runs.

England did not enforce the follow on and sent out Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley to score runs at a brisk pace.