cricket

Updated: Aug 24, 2019 11:43 IST

India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah on Saturday achieved a massive Test milestone as he picked up his 50th wicket on Day 2 of the 1st Test against West Indies. The right-armer dismissed Windies middle-order batsman Darren Bravo in his first over after Tea. In doing so, he surpassed off-spinner R Ashwin to become the Indian bowler with fewest deliveries to reach 50 Test wickets mark.

While the seamer took 2,464 balls to register his 50 wickets, Ashwin had taken 2,597 deliveries to achieve the feat. However, in terms of matches and innings taken, Ashwin is still the fastest Indian to 50 Test wickets. Bumrah joined spinners Narendra Hirwani and Harbhajan Singh who both took 11 matches to achieve the milestone. Hirwani had taken 19 innings while Bumrah and Harbhajan have taken 21.

Also read: India vs West Indies: Ishant Sharma puts India on top in first Test

Among the seamers, Bumrah became the fastest to 50 Test wickets both in terms of matches and innings beating Mohammed Shami and Venkatesh Prasad, who both had taken 13 Tests to reach the mark.

Bumrah may have made his way into the record books but it was Ishant Sharma, who was the star of the day for India. He took five wickets, including three in seven balls, as India firmly gained the upper hand over West Indies on the second day of the first test in Antigua on Friday. Sharma (5-42) rattled through West Indies’ middle order late in the day, turning the match perhaps decisively in favour of the visitors.

Also read: ‘Would rather face Dennis Lillee than Jasprit Bumrah,’ Viv Richards

West Indies were 189-8 at stumps in their first innings, still 108 runs behind in reply to India’s 297 total. Sharma’s first five-wicket haul in more than a year began when he caught-and-bowled obdurate opener Kraigg Brathwaite for 14.

He later dismissed Roston Chase (48) and then sent Shai Hope (24), Shimron Hetymer (35) and Kemar Roach (0) packing in a devastating seven-ball purple patch.

(With inputs from agencies)