Ishant Sharma becomes third Indian pacer to take 300 Test wickets
Chennai, Feb 8: Veteran fast bowler Ishant Sharma on Monday became the sixth Indian and third pacer from the country to take 300 wickets in Test cricket, joining legendary former India captains Kapil Dev and Anil Kumble after a "roller-coaster" ride.
Ishant reached the landmark when he trapped Dan Lawrence with a delivery that swung back sharply before hitting his pads in England's second innings on the fourth day of the opening Test here.
Besides Kumble (619) and Kapil (434), Ravichandran Ashwin (377 before this game), Harbhajan Singh (417), and Zaheer Khan (311) are the other bowlers from the country who have reached the landmark.
The 32-year-old Ishant reached the milestone in 98 matches, more than the other Indian bowlers in the club.
"Quite a roller-coaster life so far. A lot of experiences, I've learned a lot about how to bowl in the subcontinent, and what lengths to bowl when we go abroad," Ishant said at the end of the day's play.
"Feeling a bit sore, just played four-over T20 games in domestic, and came back and straightaway bowled 35 overs."
India were set a world record target of 420 to win the opening Test here and Ishant said his team is positive about it, especially after their incredible showings in Australia recently.
"If we get a good start tomorrow, I'm sure we can chase this down. We have a fearless batting line-up, and we're very positive about this.
"First two days it felt like we were playing on the road, but on the fourth day it started turning a bit and we caught a bit of a break.
"Even on the first two days I thought we bowled well even though we weren't getting much help," Ishant added.
The BCCI and ICC joined some cricketers in congratulating the seasoned pacer who began his Test career way back in 2007.
"Congratulations @ImIshant. He becomes the third Indian fast bowler to take 300 Test wickets. He traps Lawrence in the front as England lose their third wicket," the BCCI tweeted soon after he accomplished the feat.
The ICC also lauded the seasoned fast bowler's achievement, coming after more than 13 years of toil.
"Ishant Sharma becomes the third India pacer after Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan to reach the 300-wicket mark in Tests. What an achievement!" the game's global governing body tweeted.
He has 11 five-wicket hauls and picked up 10 wickets in a match once. The lanky pacer's spell to former Australian captain Ricky Ponting during his teenage years is still discussed in Indian cricketing circles.
Ashwin was the fastest to get there, taking only 54 matches, followed by Kumble (66), Harbhajan (72), Kapil (83) and Zaheer (89).
Ishant, who made his Test debut against Bangladesh, missed the four-match Test series against Australia due to a side strain and came back for the challenge against England.
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Mangaluru: Two arrested, MDMA worth Rs 5.41 lakh seized
Mangaluru: Surathkal Police have arrested two persons and seized 54.06 grams of MDMA valued at Rs 5.41 lakh near a weighing bridge at Mukka within the Surathkal police station limits, Deccan Herald reported on Saturday.
According to DCP (Law and Order) Mithun H.N., the police acted on credible information that a resident of Kaup was arriving in the area to sell MDMA. Based on the tip-off, the PSI of Surathkal Police Station conducted a raid and found two cars parked side by side at the spot.
The arrested accused have been identified as Zakaria (38), from Kombugudde in Kaup and Mithun Poojary (23), from Santhekatte, Udupi district.
During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused had allegedly come to Surathkal to sell the MDMA to college students and the general public. Police arrested both and seized a total of 54.06 grams of MDMA from their possession,18.42 grams from Zakaria and 36.18 grams from Mithun Poojary.
Police confiscated two cars worth Rs 13 lakh, two mobile phones valued at Rs 20,000, and cash amounting to Rs 11,700. The total value of the seized property is estimated at Rs 18,72,700.
A case has been registered at the Surathkal Police Station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further investigation is in progress.
The DCP said that Zakaria has a criminal history, with five previous cases registered against him. These include assault cases at Bajpe Police Station in 2009 and Mulki Police Station in 2020, a case involving assault on a woman in 2022, a kidnapping case at Udupi Town Police Station in 2021, and another assault case at Padubidri Police Station in 2022.
