When Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin got a 6-112 against England in the Mumbai Test recently, he took his five-wicket haul tall in Tests to a staggering 24. This is a sensational achievement considering Ashwin is just 46 Tests into his career. If he can maintain even half of this form in the next few years, he will easily come very close to having the most five-wicket hauls in Test history.

Already, Ashwin is No. 12 in the list of Test bowlers with the most five-wickets-in-an-innings. Here, we look at the top five bowlers in Test history with most five-wicket hauls.

Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka):

The spin wizard from Sri Lanka will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest ever spinners in the history of the game. The records that he has made will perhaps never be broken. Apart from his phenomenal 800 Test wickets in his career - the highest in history - Murali, also holds the record for the most five-wicket hauls. In the 133 Tests that he played, the off-spinner got a colossal 67 five-wicket hauls with a best of 9-51 against Zimbabwe at Kandy in January 2002. It will really take something special for someone else to even reach close to these numbers.

Shane Warne (Australia):

Coming in the second position is Shane Warne who is, undoubtedly, the best spinner of this century. It is not just the wickets that Warne picked, but it was the way he plotted and dominated batsmen that made him great. In the 145 Tests that Warne played, he picked up an incredible 37 five-wicket hauls along with 708 wickets. His best was 8-71 versus England at Brisbane, November 1994.

Richard Hadlee (New Zealand):

Arguably one of the finest pace bowlers ever and undoubtedly the best paceman to come from New Zealand, Richard Hadlee was renowned for his amazing control and effectiveness. With 431 wickets, for years he was the highest wicket-taker in Test history before Kapil Dev took over that mantle. In just 86 Tests, Hadlee picked up an astonishing 36 five-wicket hauls with a best of 9-52 versus Australia at Brisbane, November 1985. This is a remarkable achievement given that he was a fast bowler who don't usually bowl long spells and given that he played much fewer Tests than the others in the list.

Anil Kumble (India):

The tireless workhorse from India was a fantastic leg-spinner who rarely got much global appreciation. And yet, his records are simply outstanding. In 132 Tests, Kumble captured 35 five-wicket hauls and also had an incredible 619 wickets to go with it. His best was the record-breaking 10-74 against arch-rivals Pakistan at Delhi on February 1999 - only the second instance in history where a bowler managed to grab all the 10 wickets in an innings.

Glenn McGrath (Australia):

This lanky fast bowler from Australia was renowned for his impeccable and relentless line and length. He got his wickets from the pressure he created because of his control and subtle movements and swing. In 124 Tests, McGrath had 29 five-wicket hauls with a best of 8-24 against Pakistan at Perth, December 2004. The legendary fast bowler also snared 563 wickets and will remain a benchmark for other fast bowlers on how to bowl continuously with control.