Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin
achieved a historic milestone in Test cricket on Day 3 of the second Test
against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.

Ashwin gave India an early breakthrough,
dismissing New Zealand’s stand-in skipper Tom Latham. It was the eighth time
Ashwin dismissed Latham, a record which he shares with England’s Stuart Broad.

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With his second wicket of the innings, where
he dismissed Will Young for 20, Ashwin reached a historic milestone of Indian cricket. The
off-spinner went past predecessors Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in taking 50 Test wickets in a calendar year for the most number of times. This was the fourth
time Ashwin took fifty or more wickets in a calendar year in the format.

Ashwin took 62 wickets in 2015, 72 wickets
in 2016 and 56 wickets in 2017. Both, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble took 50+
wickets in three different years each. Ashwin eventually ended the day with
figures of 3/27 in 17 overs as he took the wicket of Ross Taylor.

Most
instances by Indian bowlers picking 50+ wickets in a calendar year:

Ravichandran Ashwin (4) – 2015, 2016, 2017,
2021

Harbhajan Singh (3) – 2001, 2002, 2008

Anil Kumble (3) – 1999, 2004, 2006

Kapil Dev (2) – 1979, 1983

With 51 wickets in 2021, Ashwin will have
an opportunity to add to his tally on Day 4 as India look to bundle out New
Zealand to complete the 1-0 series win. India have set a massive 540 runs target for New Zealand. The Kiwis lost five wickets for 140 runs in their second innings at Stumps, Day 3.
They are still trailing by 400 runs.

Earlier in the first Test in Kanpur, Ashwin went past
Harbhajan Singh to become the third-highest wicket-taker for India in Test
cricket. The off-spinner, with 426 Test wickets so far, is only 9 dismissals
away from overtaking India’s second-highest wicket-taker, Kapil Dev.

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Ashwin also stands one wicket away from
going past Blackcaps great Richard Hadlee for most wickets in India-New Zealand Tests. Hadlee has 65 wickets in 14 Tests against India.

He had earlier surpassed Bishan Singh Bedi
with his six wickets in Kanpur to become India’s highest wicket-taker in the
rivalry.