Ashwin becomes fastest to pick 250 Test wickets

'Good to have the record out of the way'

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, on Sunday, added yet another feather on his cap as he became the quickest bowler to claim 250 wickets in Test cricket.

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The 30-year-old created history during the fourth day of the ongoing one-off Test match against Bangladesh when he dismissed skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (127) by a flat delivery at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

By reaching the 250-wicket mark in 45 matches, Ashwin has also surpassed Australian bowling legend Dennis Lillee's record, who achieved the feat in 48 matches.

With the feat, he joins Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Bishan Bedi as six Indians to reach the landmark.

Earlier, Ashwin headed into the Hyderabad Test two wickets short of the mark. He first scalped the wicket of Shakib Al Hasan (82) on Day three before making Rahim his 250th victim.

Ashwin, the No 1 ranked bowler and all-rounder in Test cricket, had a record-breaking last year for India as he notched up 72 wickets in 12 matches to finish as the highest wicket-taker in the world for the second consecutive year.

"Good to have the record out of the way," he said after the end of day's play.

"Today was one of those days when I started enjoying my spell right from the start. It's going to be an interesting day tomorrow. The wicket is not giving too much help for the spinners, we have to be very very patient in the morning session," Ashwin said.

"It was a delight to bowl in the second innings. I was a little rusty in the first innings, got into a better rhythm in the second innings straightaway, bowling with the new ball."