• Source:JND
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Australia spinner Nathan Lyon termed his Indian counterpart as one of his 'biggest coaches' as he nears the elite 500 wickets Test club. Aussies are set to take on Pakistan in the first Test of the three-match series in Perth on Thursday.

Lyon is just four scalps away from becoming the third spinner to bag 500 wickets in red-ball cricket. If he achieves the feat, he will become the second Australia spinner after legendary Shane Warne to enter the list.

The 36-year-old said he has learned from Ashwin whenever they faced each other during his Test career and credited him for playing a role in his journey. 

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"You look at Ashwin, he's a world-class bowler and somebody I've watched closely from the start of his career. We've gone head-to-head many times in different conditions around the world. I've definitely learned from him. There's an opportunity to learn from the people you play against, and without knowing it he's probably been one of my biggest coaches in a way," Lyon was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

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Lyon has 496 wickets, while Ashwin, who is currently touring South Africa for two Tests, has 489 wickets.

"It's pretty amazing to see we're both creeping up to that 500 mark, and we'll see where we end up. Hopefully at the end of our career we'll sit down and have a nice feed and a beer and talk about it," Lyon said.

Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan are the only spinners to have achieved the feat of snapping 500 or more Test wickets in international cricket.

(With PTI inputs)