India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Monday surpassed Harbhajan Singh to become the country's third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.


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Ashwin scalped the wicket of Tom Latham (52) on the ongoing Day 5 of the first Test against New Zealand and hence he achieved the feat.


The off-spinner had equalled Harbhajan's tally of 417 wickets on Sunday after he dismissed Will Young on Day 4.


“I would like to congratulate Ashwin on his milestone. Well done and hope he wins many more matches for India,” Harbhajan told PTI.


“I never believed in comparisons. We played our best cricket in different times, against different opposition. I had done my best for the country back then and ditto for Ashwin, he did his best now,” the former India spinner said.



Notably, only Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev have taken more wickets for India in the whites than Ashwin (418).


He also became the 13th highest Test wicket-taker of all time, moving past Pakistani fast bowling great Wasim Akram (414) as well apart from Harbhajan.


Among active Test cricketers, Ashwin is the third-highest wicket-taker after English pacers Stuart Broad (524) and James Anderson (632).


Also, Ashwin has so far taken 30 five-wicket hauls in his career.


Ashwin made his Test debut in November 2011 against the West Indies in Delhi. His wickets have come at a strike rate of 52.4 and average of 24.56. Apart from his exploits with the ball, Ashwin is also known for his capability with the bat, scoring 2685 runs at an average of 27.68 with five centuries to his name.


The man from Chennai has also taken 150 wickets in 111 ODIs and is the third-highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is with 61 scalps from 51 matches.


Meanwhile, in the first innings of the ongoing Test, Ashwin had taken three wickets while Axar Patel took five.


Talking about the match, India picked up three crucial wickets, including one each on the first and last balls of the second session, to leave the final session of the ongoing first Test against New Zealand tantalizingly poised. At tea in the Green Park Stadium, New Zealand are 125/4 in 63.1 overs, with at least 31 overs to survive while India need six wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.