India’s Ravichandran Ashwin ended the decade as the highest wicket-taker for the country after the off-spinner finished with 362 scalps to his name in 70 matches. Ashwin, who notched 27 five-wicket hauls during the period, was the fifth overall on the chart led by England’s James Anderson, who picked 427 wickets in 105 matches in the decade.
Anderson’s tally is studded with 20 five-wicket hauls and another three 10-wicket shows. His partner-in-crime, Stuart Broad, was placed second on the list with 398 wickets in 110 matches to stay ahead of Nathan Lyon and Rangana Herath, who picked 376 and 363 wickets respectively.
The only other Indian in the top-10 was Ishant Sharma with the veteran’s 238 wickets in 77 matches helping him pip the likes of Ravindra Jadeja (211), Mohammed Shami (175) and Umesh Yadav (142) in the list.
Besides the new feather on the cap, Ashwin has had quite a stellar show in terms of his performances on the pitch. He became the joint-fastest to pick 250 Test wickets at home earlier this year when he sent back Mominul Haque during India’s one-off tie at Indore; sharing the spot with spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, who also reached the figure in his 42nd Test.
In 2017, Ashwin had also become the fastest to reach to 300 Test wickets overall, going past the record held by legendary Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee, who had reached the figure in his 56th Test. Ashwin took two less and in the process eclipsed a record that was held for nearly 36 years.
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