India’s veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is all set to become India’s fifth-highest wicket-taker against Sri Lanka in Tests. Jadeja needs four more wickets in the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka to overtake pacer Ishant Sharma on the list.
Ishant has 36 wickets from 12 Tests against Sri Lanka, averaging nearly 36, including a fifer. Jadeja has played seven Tests against Sri Lanka and has bagged 33 wickets at an average of 23.72, featuring two five-wicket hauls.
Top wicket-takers in India-Sri Lanka Test history
The top spot for most wickets by an Indian bowler against Sri Lanka belongs to Anil Kumble. The leggie had bagged 74 wickets from 18 Tests. He is followed by Ravichandran Ashwin (62 wickets), Harbhajan Singh (53 wickets) and Kapil Dev (45 wickets). In India-Sri Lanka Test cricket history, the highest wicket-taker is Muttiah Muralitharan with 105 scalps from 22 Tests. The only other Sri Lankan in front of Jadeja is Ajantha Mendis with 34 wickets from six Tests.
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2 more for 350, Jadeja to surpass Vettori?
Jadeja also needs two more wickets to become India's fifth bowler to take 350 or more Tests wickets. He is currently the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests among left-arm spinners. Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath is at top with 433 wickets from 93 Tests. New Zealand's Daniel Vettori has 362 wickets from 113 Tests. With plenty of action remaining in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle, Jadeja will have chances to take 15 more wickets and surpass Vettori on the list.
Jadeja to surpass head coach Gambhir
Jadeja is India's 19th on the list of all-time Test run-scorer. He has 4,095 runs from 89 Tests. He is right behind KL Rahul who has 4,153 runs from 68 Tests. The all-rounder needs 60 more runs to surpass Gambhir on the list. The current head coach Gambhir has 4,154 runs from 58 Tests, averaging 51.49, including nine tons and 22 fifties.
Jadeja’s recent form
The 37-year-old warmed up nicely for the Test series against Sri Lanka after getting rested for one-off Test against Afghanistan. He retired after scoring 63 runs in the first innings and scored 22 in the next. He took two wickets each in both innings.