[Watch] Hanuma Vihari's brilliant diving catch gives Ravichandran Ashwin record 440th Test wicket
Hanuma Vihari is not only cementing his place in Team India as a solid batting option at No. 3 but also a reliable close-in fielder.
He was placed at forward-short-leg for Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling against Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva on Monday. The off-spinner looped the ball up and the batter indecisively dangled his bat away from the body.
The ball dipped, turned, and bounced to take the inside edge to the pad and then to the left of Vihari.
The right-handed fielder had ample time but the ball was flying to the wrong side of him. He threw himself towards it with both hands and stretched full-tilt to grab it in front of his face.
Here's a video of the same:
Dhananjaya de Silva went back for 4 (21). He never looked settled and lacked the proactiveness shown by Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Kusal Mendis and Dimuth Karunaratne to reap success on the turning and unevenly-laid Bengaluru pitch.
WATCH - Rishabh Pant's lightning fast stumping.
Beauty of a ball from @ashwinravi99 to deceive Kusal Mendis and @RishabhPant17 did the rest. Neat glove work from Pant behind the stumps.
📽️📽️bcci.tv/videos/5556758… @Paytm #INDvSL
It was also Ashwin's second wicket of the innings as he helped India reduce the visitors to 105-4 in their chase of 447. He had previously got Mendis out stumped with an endearing straighter one that slipped past the right-hander's bat.
Hanuma Vihari's catch helps Ravichandran Ashwin go past Dale Steyn
Ravichandran Ashwin - The 8th highest wicket-taker in Tests and the fourth-highest among spinners 🇮🇳
One of the legendary spinners to have ever graced the game! 🙌
#India #TeamIndia https://t.co/SM1mo1AIgJ
Dhananjaya de Silva was Ashwin's 440th Test victim. He's now the eighth-highest wicket-taker in the format's history, going past South African fast-bowling legend Dale Steyn's tally of 439 scalps. Steyn took 93 Tests for his tally while Ashwin has got there in just his 86th game.
Next in line for the 35-year-old is West Indies great Courtney Walsh with 512 wickets from 132 Tests. Sri Lanka's Muthiah Muralidaran tops the chart with 800 (133 Tests), followed by the legendary Shane Warne with 708 from 145 Tests.