Simon Harmer shatters Dale Steyn's legacy with 17 wickets in Guwahati Test

Harmer goes past Steyn [Source: AFP Photo]

Before the start of the Test series against South Africa, India were prepared for Keshav Maharaj, but surprisingly, Simon Harmer came out of the syllabus as the off-break bowler ran riot and dismantled the Indian batters, first in Kolkata, followed by a masterclass in Guwahati.

India fielded a plethora of left-handed batters in their lineup, and this allowed Harmer to feast on them as the off-break bowler grabbed 8 wickets in the first Test in Kolkata, and then followed it up with 8 more wickets in the Guwahati Test match as he created a huge record and surpassed the legendary Dale Steyn in a massive feat.

Harmer surpasses Steyn in massive Test feat

So far, in the second Test match, Simon Harmer has 8 wickets, and in the process, he now has 16 wickets in the ongoing series against India, the most by any South African in a single Test series vs India.

Harmer now has 17 wickets in the Test, while Steyn held the record with 15 wickets, a feat achieved during the 2008 India tour. In just 2 matches on this tour, the Proteas spinner has 17 wickets, with an average of 9.37, including a solitary five-wicket haul as the Indian batters had no answer to his magic on the field with the ball.

Other monumental record bagged by Harmer

Not one, but Harmer also overtook Steyn in another huge Test feat during the fifth day of the Guwahati Test match. The spinner now has 27 Test wickets in India, and he again surpassed Steyn as the Proteas bowler with the most Test wickets in India (overall).

While Steyn had 26 Test scalps in India in six matches, Harmer has crossed the landmark in just four games, with an average of 14.96.

Interestingly, Of the 109 bowlers with a minimum of 20 Test wickets in India, Harmer has the best average and strike-rate.

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