Mohali : Ravichandran Ashwin became India's second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket on Sunday, surpassing the record of Kapil Dev, who had 434 scalps during his illustrious career.
Earlier, when Ashwin had bowled Pathum Nissanka, he had equalled Kapil's record when he took the wicket of Charith Asalanka in Sri Lanka's second innings to close on a big victory at Mohali.
He will be unable to catch Steyn in the match, remaining the 9th highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. Ashwin's next target is South Africa's great Dale Steyn, who ended his career with 439 wickets.
Ashwin reached this milestone in his 85th Test match, while Kapil reached it in his 131st.
In spite of the generational differences as well as the different skill sets between Kapil and Ashwin, their achievements are comparable when looking at numbers alone.
Despite being dismissed for 174 after Rohit Sharma asked Sri Lanka to follow-on while India scored 574 for eight in their first innings, Sri Lanka continued to struggle when Lahiru Thirimanne became Ashwin's 433rd victim.
Following lunch, Pathum Nissanka, who was batting half-century, wrapped up a memorable match by launching a stunning catch by Rishabh Pant from Ashwin's delivery.