Indian Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha became the third fastest Indian bowler to reach the milestone of 100 wickets in Test cricket.
Pragyan Ojha’s 100th wicket was Australian tailender James Pattinson, who edged to first slip, and that put him behind two other Indian spinners, Erapalli Prasanna and Anil Kumble, in terms of the quickest to do so.
The former India offspinnerPrasanna, took his 100th wicket in his 20th Test, which came against Australia in Delhi on November 28, 1969. Kumble reached the landmark in his 21st Test, which was in Bangalore against New Zealand on October 15, 1995.
In terms of days, however, Ojha is the fastest; he took three years and 32 days to reach the 100-wicket mark. Kumble needed five years and 70 days to get to 100 wickets. It took Prasanna seven years and 22 days to get to 100 wickets, but this included five years of absence from the Test scene as he finished his undergraduate studies.
Ojha has quietly and efficiently found his way to 100 Test wickets (the 13th Indian spinner to reach the landmark). Since making his debut against Sri Lanka at Nagpur on November 24, 2009 he has gone from a containing, second-choice spinner behind Harbhajan Singh to India’s No. 1 slow bowler in Tests. Over the last four years, since he made his Test debut, he has been India’s leading wicket-taker with 100 wickets.
The next closest are Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma with 95, followed by Harbhajan (92) and R Ashwin (90). Ashwin’s 90 have come in just 16 Tests, making him the favorite to beat Prasanna, Kumble and Ojha to 100.
Ashwin was in the thick of things in the morning as he picked up his ninth five-wicket haul in Tests when he had Peter Siddle (51) bowled by a delivery that spun back in to hit the off stump. Siddle’s patience and temperament were rewarded when he got to his maiden Test fifty.
His 136-ball knock comprised four boundaries, but it was his application and composure that stood out, especially given the manner the top-order caved in on an abrasive surface. He shared a vital 54-run stand for the ninth wicket with James Pattinson to help Australia cross 250.
Ashwin bowled well, focusing on landing the ball in the right areas. And that reflected in his figures of 5 for 57, while Jadeja (2 for 40) and Ishant Sharma (2 for 35) and Ojha (1 for 75) were the other wicket takers.
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