Playing a pivotal role in India’s 2-1 series win against Sri Lanka, pace spearhead Ishant Sharma today joined the 200 Test wickets-club after taking the key scalp of centurion Angelo Mathews.
Bagging eight wickets in the third and final Test, including a fifer in the first innings, Ishant joined an elite company of Indian fast bowlers including Kapil Dev (434), Zaheer Khan (311) and Javagal Srinath (236).
Getting the dangerous Mathews (110) back in the pavilion after skipper Virat Kohli took the second new ball, Ishant broke Lankan resistance to enable his team register a 117-run win.
Ishant, who bagged 13 wickets in three matches, also became a part of the Indian side that won on Sri Lankan soil after 22 years. It was also Kohli’s first series win as Test captain.
The lanky-pacer, who turns 27 tomorrow also became only the 11th bowler to claim 200 Test victims under 27 years of age.