Ashwin can take 800 wickets, Lyon not good enough, says Muralitharan

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Ashwin can take 800 wickets, Lyon not good enough, says Muralitharan

Last Updated : 14 Jan 2021 12:38:39 PM IST

Muttiah Muralitharan

Ace Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin can take 700-800 wickets in Test cricket while Australia's Nathan Lyon is not good enough to achieve the feat, feels legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

"Ashwin has a chance because he is a great bowler," Muralitharan said while speaking to former England captain Michael Vaughan for the UK Telegraph, as per Fox Sports. "Other than that, I don't think any younger bowler coming in will go to 800."

"Maybe Nathan Lyon is not good enough to reach it. He is close to 400 but he has had to play many, many matches to get there," he added.

Lyon will be playing his 100th Test in the fourth and final match of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series at The Gabba beginning Friday.

Lyon, 33, has 396 wickets compared to 34-year-old Ashwin's 377.

However, legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne Warne believes Lyon can scalp 600-650 wickets if he remains injury free.

"If he keeps himself injury free, I think he could easily go on and play for another five years," Warne wrote in a column for the Herald Sun.

"That's approximately another 50 Tests, and if he continues to take four wickets per game, then that is another 200 - or maybe 250 if he has a golden five years - Test wickets.

"You put that on top of his 400 and he's in the 600-650 wicket club at 38 years of age. And if he's still going well then he might have a crack at me and Murali, which would be awesome to see," he added.

Muralitharan sits at the top of the chart in the list of leading wicket-takers in Test cricket with 800 scalps. He is followed by Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619).