200 Test scalps: Spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin reaches yet another milestone

India's premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, on 25 September, joined the elite club of bowlers after clinching his 200th Test wicket during the fourth day of the 1st Test at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur.

The top-ranked all-rounder surpassed bowling legends Waqar Younis and Dennis Lillee to reach the milestone in only his 37th Test. Both, Waqar and Lillee took 38 Tests to register the 200-wickets tally in the longest format.

The 30-year-old offie recorded his 200th Test wicket after trapping New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson in front of the stumps in the second innings of the Kanpur Test.

After India set a target of 434 runs, Ashwin gave his side early breakthroughs by picking up Martin Guptill and Tom Latham in the fourth over of the second innings.

Earlier in the first innings, Ashwin proved lethal while bowling in tandem with Ravindra Jadeja. On one hand where, Ashwin snapped four wickets, his spin partner Jadeja recorded his fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

Riding on a scintillating form, Ashwin has also been India's most successful Test bowler in the last two years at home. The Indian off-spinner has claimed 35 scalps, including four five-wicket hauls, at an average of 12.51 in his last five Tests at home.

Earlier this year, Ashwin scored 235 runs with two hundreds and picked up 17 wickets to help India inflict a 2-0 Test series loss over West Indies. His exploits on the field also earned him his sixth Man of the Series (MoS) award - most by an Indian in the longest version of the game.

Ashwin was also the quickest to reach the milestone, picked up his sixth MoS award in just 36 Tests and 13 series. The great Indian batting legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have only five MoS awards in Test cricket.