Ashwin can take 800 Test wickets, Lyon not good enough: Muttiah Muralitharan

BRISBANE: Former Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan believes Ravichandran Ashwin can take 800 wickets in the longest format of the game, but Nathan Lyon is not good enough to achieve the feat.

Currently, Lyon has 396 wickets in Test cricket while Ashwin has 377. Ashwin has taken his wickets at an average of 25.33 while Lyon does so at an average of 31.98.

"Ashwin has a chance because he is a great bowler. 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," Muralitharan told Michael Vaughan for UK Telegraph, as reported by Fox Sports.

Off-spinner Lyon will play his 100th Test on Friday. Talking about Lyon, Australia skipper Tim Paine had said: "Lyon has bowled okay, I thought in Adelaide, he did create a lot of chances but they did not go to hand. Nathan Lyon has played 100 Test matches, and it is not easy."

"He will play his 100th Test tomorrow and it would be a great achievement. The ball is coming out of his hand beautifully, the Indians have played him very well," he added.

In the ongoing series between India and Australia, Ashwin has taken 12 wickets while Lyon has six.

India and Australia will now lock horns in the fourth and final Test at the Gabba, Brisbane, beginning January 15. The third Test between both these sides had ended as a draw.