IND vs AUS: Nathan Lyon becomes second fastest Australian to 500 international wickets

Veteran Australian spinner Nathan Lyon is having a tour to remember as the offspinner became the second fastest to 500 international wickets for Australia behind the legendary Shane Warne. Lyon reached the landmark in his 252nd innings, four less than left-arm pacer and teammate Mitchell Starc during the first innings of the third Test against India.

The Australian bowlers were all over Indian batters after the home side won the toss and elected to bat first on a rank-turner at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. While left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann accounted for both the Indian openers, Lyon grabbed the prized scalp of Cheteshwar Pujara with a sharp turning delivery.

He dismissed the Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to reach the milestone of 500 international wickets and also accounted for Srikar Bharat, his 471st wicket in the longest format of the game. The wicket of Jadeja in the first innings also made him the most successful visiting bowler in Asia, eclipsing Shane Warne's tally of 127 wickets.

With the combined efforts of the Australian spinners, they were able to restrict the hosts to a meagre total of 109 runs, as the Men in Blue were bundled out within one and a half session on Day 1.

Fastest Australian bowler to pick 500 international wickets :

Shane Warne - 244 innings
Nathan Lyon - 252 innings*
Mitchell starc - 256 innings
Glenn McGrath - 258 innings
Brett Lee - 267 innings
Mitchell Johnson - 272 innings

— Raja Sekhar Yadav (@cricketwithraju) March 1, 2023

Lyon made his international debut in 2011 in a Test match against Sri Lanka and has been regular part of the Test team ever since. However he has not been able to replicate the same success in the shorter formats of the game, as out of his 501 international wickets, only 30 came from ODIs and T20Is.

His last ODI appearance came in the year 2019, with his last T20I coming in 2018. He reached the milestone faster than teammate Mitchell Starc (256 innings) and legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath (258 innings).

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