India vs South Africa 2019: 3 records that can be broken in the Test series

India will embark on their new home Test season with the first Test against South Africa in Vizag on 2 October. The hosts will play five Test matches over the course of the next six weeks; after facing the mighty Proteas they will lock horns with Bangladesh in a two-Test affair.

This will also be India's first home Test assignment in the recently launched World Test Championship. The Virat Kohli-led side would want to claim all 120 points on offer against a relatively inexperienced South African outfit.

The series will be an opportunity for some of the Indian players to once again prove their mettle. A lot will depend on the Indian spinners as they return to their familiar territory after a period of more than a year in Test cricket.

A couple of senior players also have a few records in sight when they take the field against Proteas in the first Test at Visakhapatnam.

Here, we take a look at three of these records that might be broken in the India vs South Africa Test series:

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#1 Ravichandran Ashwin - Fastest to 350 Test wickets

Ashwin is also the fastest to 250 and 300 Test wickets

Indian ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is on the brink of creating history in the longest format of the game. Ashwin, who has played 65 Tests for India, has 342 wickets to his name and is just eight short of reaching the milestone of 350 Test victims in his illustrious career.

Assuming that Ashwin will take the field in the first Test against South Africa in Vizag, he will have the opportunity to become the joint-fastest to 350 Test wickets alongside the legendary Muttaih Muralitharan.

Muralitharan, who was the fastest to this milestone, took 66 Test matches to get there. And Ashwin, having represented India in 65 Tests, would want to add another feather to his cap by picking up eight more wickets in the Vizag Test itself.

If the 33-year old fails to reach to the landmark in the first Test, he would still have the opportunity to become the second-quickest in the remaining two matches of the series.

Also see - IND vs SA schedule

#2 Ravindra Jadeja - Fastest left-arm spinner to 200 wickets

Ravindra Jadeja

If a landmark lies ahead of Ashwin, the story isn't too different for his bowling partner Ravindra Jadeja. The 30-year-old left-arm spinner needs only two wickets in the entire series to become the fastest left-arm slow bowler to claim 200 wickets in Test cricket.

Rangana Herath, who took 47 Tests to reach this milestone, currently holds the record. Jadeja, who has played only 43 Tests in his career, will have the entire series to overhaul Herath's mark. And given the kind of form Jadeja is in, there is little doubt that he will go past the 200-wicket mark in the first Test itself.

The landmark would be another stepping stone for Jadeja and a mark of his progress as a cricketer in each format. From a support-cast bowler at one end to the first-choice spinner in the playing XI, Jadeja has come a long way in his career.

#3 Ishant Sharma - Most capped Indian fast bowler

Ishant will soon surpass Zaheer as the most capped Indian fast bowler

Known as a workhorse in all his years of service for Indian cricket, Ishant Sharma has finally begun to bowl at his full potential in the last two years. After quite an early start to his international career, with his Test debut coming at 18, Sharma has been there or thereabouts in the Indian Test setup for a majority of the last decade.

With 92 Test caps to his name, Ishant is now the senior-most pro in the Test team. He will be eyeing the historic landmark of 100 Tests too.

If he plays any match in the upcoming series, Ishant will surpass Zaheer Khan to become the most capped Indian fast bowler in Test cricket. With 278 wickets at an improving average of 33.41, Ishant would be delighted to be considered in the same bracket as the legendary left-arm bowler.