Harbhajan Singh became the third Indian and 22nd cricketer in the world to claim 300 or more wickets in Test cricket when he dismissed Australia captain Ricky Ponting on the second day of the fourth and final Test in Nagpur on Friday.
The Punjab offie, who is playing his 72nd Test, is behind just-retired Anil Kumble (619 from 132 Tests) and Kapil Dev (434 from 131 Tests).
Mts | Balls | Runs | Wkts | Best | Avg | SR | 5WI | 10WM | |
Anil Kumble | 132 | 40850 | 18355 | 619 | 10-74 | 29.65 | 65.99 | 35 | 8 |
Kapil Dev | 131 | 27740 | 12867 | 434 | 9-83 | 29.64 | 63.91 | 23 | 2 |
Harbhajan Singh | 72 | 19726 | 9309 | 300 |
He is only the fifth spinner to join the 300-wicket club after Muttiah Muralitharan (756), Shane Warne (708), Kumble and Lance Gibbs (309), and second Indian after Kumble.
By claiming Ponting's wicket, whom he has dismissed for the tenth time, Harbhajan claimed his 200th wicket on Indian soil.
The feisty off-spinner, who made his Test debut against Australia in Bangalore in March 1998, also has 195 ODI wickets in his kitty from 175 matches.