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Cricket PlayersIND vs SA: Shami on cusp of achieving massive career milestone; set to join Kumble, Srinath in elusive list
Earlier in Centurion, Shami had become the fifth Indian fast bowler to reach 200 Test wickets.
Reiterating India's fast bowling domination in overseas conditions, the Indian pace quartet shone in the first Test in Centurion, bringing down South Africa's citadel, the SuperSport Park. Mohammed Shami was the wrecker-in-chief, recording a five-wicket haul in the first innings and following it up with three more plucks in the second.
The 31-year-old Shami also returned with three wickets across both the innings at the Wanderers, Johannesburg, taking his tally to 11 wickets in the first two Test matches against the Proteas. As the Indian unit gears up for the third and final Test at the Newlands, Cape Town, Shami will be looking to add a few more wickets under his belt. He is also on the verge of joining the elite club comprising the likes of legendary Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath.
Currently leading the Indian bowling attack with 11 wickets in the series, Shami has 45 wickets in 20 Test innings against South Africa -- the most for him against any team in his career. If he takes five more wickets in the third Test, Shami will be the fifth Indian bowler and second Indian pacer after Srinath to pick 50 Test wickets against the Proteas.
Anil Kumble, with 84 wickets to his name, leads the list, followed by Javagal Srinath (64 wickets), Harbhajan Singh (60 wickets) and Ravichandran Ashwin (56 wickets). Shami also flaunts an impressive bowling strike rate of 40.5 against South Africa, which is the most by a bowler in the present century.
Earlier in Centurion, Shami had become the fifth Indian fast bowler to reach 200 Test wickets as he ran through the South African batting unit. Overall, he became just the 11th Indian bowler to claim 200 wickets in Test cricket.
As the Indian unit eyes first-ever series win on the South African soil, Ashwin is also on the cusp of adding one more feather to his illustrious Test cap.
The seasoned off-spinner needs just five more wickets to surpass Kapil Dev and become the second-highest wicket-taker for India in the longest format. Anil Kumble currently heads the list with 619 Test scalps, followed by Kapil Dev (434) and Ashwin (430). In the home Test series against New Zealand, Ashwin had moved past Harbhajan Singh to become India's third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
