India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed his 500th Test wicket on day two of the third match against England in Rajkot.
The 37-year-old became only the ninth bowler to achieve the feat, scaling the landmark in his 97th Test. Ashwin is also the second Indian to reach the milestone after fellow spinner Anil Kumble (619).
Ashwin, who began the Test with 499 wickets, dismissed England's Zak Crawley during their first innings in the ongoing Rajkot Test. Batting on 15, Crawley was caught by Rajat Patidar at short-fine leg when he tried to sweep the off-spinner
The only other off-spinners who have touched the 500-wicket mark are retired Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralidaran (800) and Australia's Nathan Lyon (517), who did it last year.
Having made his Test debut in 2011, Ashwin has come a long way.
The engineering graduate from Chennai started out as a top-order batter and tried his hand at medium-pace bowling before settling for the role of an off-spinner, a decision that was forced by a back injury during his teenage years.
Following the Kumble and Harbhajan Singh era, Ashwin had big shoes to fill and he has done that with remarkable consistency.
In his first 16 Tests, Ashwin snared nine five-wicket hauls and became the fastest to the 300-wicket club.
Ashwin has also proved his worth in the shorter formats, having played 116 ODIS for his 156 wickets in the format.
He has taken 72 wickets in 65 T20 international appearances.
(With inputs from AFP, PTI)