Fewest Tests to 400 wickets
R Ashwin recently became the quickest Indian bowler to reach 400 test wickets.
72 M Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan is the highest wicket taker in the history of test cricket and the only bowler to scale the 800 mountain. Muralitharan became the quickest to 400 test wickets when the Sri Lankan spinner took just 72 matches to reach the milestone.
Having made his debut in August 1992, Muttiah Muralitharan took less than 10 years to pick up 400 test wickets when he reached the milestone in January 2002.
77 R Ashwin
To put things into perspective, Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 400 wickets in his test career, quicker than Sir Richard Headlee, Dale Steyn and Anil Kumble which is a remarkable feat. Ashwin fell behind just Muttiah Muralitharan which is more a compliment than anything.
He achieved the feat against England at Ahmedabad in February 2021. Ravichandran Ashwin made his test debut in November 2011 and picked up a 5-wicket haul on debut against West Indies. It was a sign of the things to come. Ashwin also took less than 10 years to take 400 test wickets as he did it in his 77th test match.
80 R Hadlee/D Steyn
Both Sir Richard Hadlee and Dale Steyn took 80 test matches each to pick up 400 test wickets. Hadlee’s 400th test wicket came against India at Christchurch in February 1990. After the legendary all-rounder made his debut in February 1973, the milestone arrived after a period of 17 years and 80 test matches. The reason being that test matches were far less frequent in those days.
Dale Steyn equalled Hadlee’s feat against Bangladesh in Dhaka in July 2015. The South African pace bowler made his test debut in December 2004 and took 10 years and 225 days, which translates to 80 test matches, to reach 400 test wickets. Steyn still possesses one of the best strike rates among the top wicket takers in the history of test cricket
84 R Herath
Another Sri Lankan spinner, Rangana Herath’s 400th test wicket came against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in September 2017. After having made his debut in 1999, he took 18 years to achieve the milestone which came from 84 test matches and finished as the second most prolific Sri Lankan spinner behind MuttiahMuralitharan.
85 A Kumble
The highest wicket taker for India in test cricket and the third highest overall, Anil Kumble reached 400 test wickets from 85 test matches. Having made his debut in August 1993, the feat came against Australia at Bangalore in October 2004. The leg spinner finished with 619 test scalps.