R Ashwin urges Ishant Sharma to gun for 400-500 Test scalps as pacer enters 300-club

Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin heaped praise on veteran pacer Ishant Sharma after he registered his 300th Test scalp on Day 4 of the first Test match against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. 

Ishant accounted for number three batsman Dan Lawrence to achive this feat. Meanwhile, the tall speedster also became the third Indian pacer to take 300 wickets in the longest format of the game.

'I really wish to see him get...': Ravichandran Ashwin

"Ishant is one of the most hard-working cricketers I have seen now. He has worked extremely hard. Being that tall itself requires a lot of things to be managed in a career of 14 years if I am not wrong with the numbers. From the Ishant that went to Australia and got Ricky Ponting out and then, he has gone through many other tours, he has his fair share of injuries. So for a fast bowler to play close to 100 Tests in India is not a joke. It's a fantastic achievement," said Ashwin in a virtual press conference on Monday.

"He is the third Indian fast bowler to get there the only one who is closer to him Javagal Srinath who is a match referee in this game. I really wish to see him get 400 and probably 500 wickets in Test," the offie added.

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Ishant Sharma enters 300-club in Test cricket

The veteran bowler joined an elite list on Monday, as he became the sixth Indian bowler to have 300 wickets to his name in Tests. Apart from Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan and Kapil Dev are the other two fast bowlers who have achieved this feat in the past. Whereas, spinners Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, and R Ashwin are also a part of the list.  

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Playing in his 98th Test match, Ishant Sharma dismissed England's Daniel Lawrence on the fourth day of the Test series opener to take the Ishant Sharma Test wickets tally to 300. While all the other five Indian bowlers picked up 300 wickets in lesser matches when compared to Sharma, the fast bowler betters Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh when it comes to the bowling averages. 

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(With ANI Inputs)