On Monday, Ishant Sharma became only the third Indian pacer, after the legendary Kapil Dev (434) and Zaheer Khan (311), to enter the 300 Test-wicket club.
Ishant, 32, reached the landmark when he dismissed England’s Dan Lawrence LBW in the second innings on Day Four of the Chennai Test. In the process, he became only the sixth Indian bowler to take 300 wickets, joining the likes of former leg-spinner Anil Kumble (619) and off-spinners Harbhajan Singh (417) and Ravichandran Ashwin (386).

Ishant’s childhood coach Shravan Kumar, 68, now wants his ward to aim for another 135 wickets to emerge as India’s highest Test wicket-taking pacer. “I’m expecting him to surpass the record of 434 Test wickets. I know it’s a difficult task but the good thing is that fitness is not a worry for Ishant. Age is also on his side. He can easily play for another four-five years, so 135 more wickets is definitely a possibility,” Shravan told mid-day from Delhi on Monday.