Ravindra Jadeja completes 350 Test wickets, joins Kapil Dev in elite Test double club

Ravindra Jadeja completed 350 Test wickets against Sri Lanka in Galle, becoming only the fifth Indian to reach the milestone. He also joined Kapil Dev in the elite club of players with 4,000-plus Test runs and 350-plus wickets.

In Short

• Jadeja became the fifth Indian to claim 350 Test wickets
• Jadeja joined Kapil Dev in the 4,000 runs-plus-350 wickets club
• His 350th wicket was Keshara Nuwantha, caught by Shubman Gill

Ravindra Jadeja has entered another exclusive club in Test cricket. The India all-rounder joined Kapil Dev in the elite group of players to have scored more than 4,000 Test runs and taken at least 350 wickets. He achieved the feat on Day 3 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Jadeja also became only the fifth Indian to reach 350 Test wickets, after Anil Kumble, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh.

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Jadeja began the Test with 4,095 runs and 348 wickets from 89 matches, meaning he needed just two wickets to reach the landmark. His 350th scalp came when Keshara Nuwantha went after an away-turning delivery, attempting to slap-drive it through the off side. The shot struck the nearby fielder and ballooned into the air, with Shubman Gill moving across to complete the catch. Nuwantha departed for two, handing Jadeja his landmark wicket.

The achievement puts Jadeja alongside Kapil, who finished his Test career with 5,248 runs and 434 wickets. Only three other players have previously combined 4,000-plus runs with 350-plus Test wickets: Ian Botham (5,200 runs, 383 wickets) and Daniel Vettori (4,531 runs, 362 wickets), alongside Kapil.

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Jadeja's 350 wickets also put him third among left-arm spinners in Test history, behind Sri Lanka legend Rangana Herath's 433 and New Zealand great Daniel Vettori's 362. His strike rate of 58.1 is also exceptional, with only Keshav Maharaj boasting a better mark among left-arm spinners with at least 125 Test wickets.

Earlier in the innings, Jadeja had already provided India with a crucial breakthrough when he dismissed Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva for 21. Bowling from round the wicket, Jadeja drifted the ball into the right-hander before getting it to turn away just enough to catch the outside edge. KL Rahul, stationed at first slip, stayed low and completed a sharp catch after the third umpire confirmed that he had his fingers underneath the ball.

The wicket was particularly important as it reduced Sri Lanka to five down just before lunch.

India had already piled up 460 for nine in their first innings, with Devdutt Padikkal's 167 the standout contribution. Jadeja, however, did not have the best of times with the bat, scoring just 13 runs off 25 balls, including one four, before Keshara Nuwantha dismissed him.

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