Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar lead Indian cricketers' wishes for James Anderson

England speedster James Anderson on Tuesday became the first pacer in the world to bag 600 wickets in Test cricket. The right-arm bowler dismissed Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali by having him caught at first slip on the fifth day of the final Test against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton to pick up his 600th Test wicket. The 'King of Swing' now is the fourth leading wicket-taker in Tests behind Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619).

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James Anderson 600th wicket: Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh congratulate the Englishman

Earlier in the series-deciding third England vs Pakistan 2020 Test, James Anderson picked up 5-56 in 23 overs to bag his 29th five-wicket haul in the format, thereby joining Australia's Glenn McGrath at the second position in the list of pacers with most fifers in Tests. Only Richard Hadlee (36) has more five-wicket hauls. 

James Anderson's stunning spell helped England gain a substantial 310-run first-innings lead over the visiting Pakistani side. The 38-year-old followed up his first-innings recital by claiming the wickets of Abid Ali and Azhar Ali in Pakistan’s following-on attempt. The moment of euphoria arrived when he sent the Pakistani captain and first-innings centurion back to the pavilion to leave the visitors struggling at 109-3, thus eventually breaking the 600-wicket barrier.

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As soon as James Anderson achieved the coveted feat, the cricketing fraternity took to Twitter to congratulate the Englishman. Indian cricketers also took to their social media handles and lauded James Anderson for his outstanding achievement. Indian captain Virat Kohli and former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh also wished James Anderson on reaching 600 wicket milestone.

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James Anderson wickets tally: Updated numbers after James Anderson 600th wicket

The staggering James Anderson wickets tally in Test cricket now comprises of an exact 600 victims at the time of writing this report. He made his international debut back in 2002 and played his first Test match a year later against Zimbabwe. An Ashes legend and a veteran campaigner, the James Anderson wickets column also includes an additional 287 scalps in his limited-overs inventory (269 in ODIs and 18 in T20Is).

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IMAGE COURTESY: TWITTER/ PRANJAL_ONE8