Test cricket has lost popularity since the Twenty20 format was introduced in 2005, making it the least popular type of sport. But, especially in the case of bowlers, it displays the actual patience, character, and skill of the player. A bowler needs to keep their composure, bowl frequently at a good length, and add some swing to their delivery in order to take wickets. The wickets of batsmen are not easily surrendered.
After MS Dhoni took over as captain in 2008, the Indian cricket team has enjoyed a lot of success in test matches. Over the span of the longest format in the history of the game, many bowlers have come and gone. Let’s see who has taken the most wickets in test matches for India.
Anil Kumble
With 619 wickets, former Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble holds the record for the most Indians to have been defeated in a test match. Kumble made his test debut against England in 1990. He played test cricket for an additional 19 years before retiring in 2008. Kumble, who was a little quicker than the other spinners, would bowl wicket to wicket in an effort to use the little spin he had to catch the batter. Anil owns the third-highest overall tally of wickets taken by a player in test cricket history. He even had ten wickets against Pakistan in a single inning in Delhi in 1999. Apart from that Kumble holds the record for the most amount of 10-fees (8) and 5-fers (35) taken for India in test matches.
Ravichandran Ashwin is the winner.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who represents India, is now in second place in terms of getting the most wickets in tests played for India (442 total). Ashwin participated in his maiden test match in 2011, and up till now, he has had great success. Ashwin is renowned for using a range of various variations while bowling in the same location. He takes an average of five wickets every test match. In addition, out of all Indian bowlers who have taken part in more than 60 matches for the national team, his bowling average of 24.13 is the highest. Overall, he has been extremely successful, scoring 2905 runs with the bat, including 5 centuries.
It is predicted that Ashwin would be able to beat Kumble’s record of 619 wickets if he plays in 50 more games. In the longest edition of the game, Ashwin is currently the Indian bowler with the second-most five-fers.
Kapil Dev
With 434 wickets in test matches, former Indian captain Kapil Dev currently owns the third-highest total for his country. He participated in his debut test match in 1978, which was contested against Pakistan. In 1994, he took the field for his final test game. In this list, the only player who can play multiple positions is Kapil. He is the first first-bowler from India to take 400 test wickets, a significant accomplishment. In terms of Indian fast bowlers who have taken part in more than 70 tests, Kapil has the highest average (29.64).
Apart from the wickets he has taken, he has also scored 5248 rupees with the bat. One of cricket’s greatest all-rounders in history, Kapil Dev, is generally regarded as one of the best. It used to happen when he bowled with an outswing that batsmen would dance around on the crease.
Harbhajan Singh
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who once represented India, has taken 417 test match wickets for his country, which ranks fourth overall. From 1998 to 2015, Singh spent 18 years as a member of India’s test cricket squad. The 400 test match wickets taken by Harbhajan Singh make him the first off-spinner in Indian cricket annals. He consistently got wickets, regardless of the weather. Over the duration of his career, he has maintained a respectable bowling average of 32.46. He has earned 25 perfect scores and five perfect 10s over the duration of his testing career.
Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan is a seasoned left-handed Indian bowler who excels in the test match style. He has 311 wickets under his belt, which ranks him fifth all-time for India. Zaheer participated in his first test match against Bangladesh in the year 2000 and his final match against New Zealand in the year 2014. The batting team could encounter difficulties thanks to Khan’s accurate bowling and ability to swing the ball in either way. First left-arm fast bowler from India to appear in more than 50 test matches and claim more than 300 wickets, he bowls with his left arm. Both of those successes are listed in his lifetime stats. He was the leader of the Indian fast bowling unit during his time there.
Ishant Sharma.
Ishant Sharma, an active quick bowler, is ranked sixth on the list of Indian athletes with the most test match wickets (303). Ishant took the field for the first time in a test match in 2007, and since then, he has enjoyed some success in the game’s longest format, getting bowling wickets at a respectable average of 32.30. As only the third fast bowler in Indian annals to play in 100 test matches, he is now the most seasoned bowler on the Indian team. He currently has eleven five-wicket hauls in the most challenging form of the game.
Bishan Singh Bedi
Bishan Singh Bedi, a former left-arm spinner for the Indian squad, is ranked seventh all-time in terms of test wickets taken for his country. His career lasted 14 years (1966-1979). In the 1970s, Bedi’s left arm was the greatest at spinning. He had an astonishing average of 28.71 runs per wicket when he took them. Bedi has recorded the most five-wicket hauls (14) of any left-arm spinner for India. In addition, Bishan Singh has 1,560 first-class cricket wickets, which is the highest of any Indian player.
BS Chandrasekhar
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar ranks eighth all-time in that category with 242 test wickets for India. Over his whole test bowling career, which lasted from 1964 to 1979, he greatly hampered the hitters with his excellent leg-break bowling. He was widely regarded as India’s best leg-spinner prior to Kumble. His bowling average of 29.74 was significantly higher than anticipated. Chandrasekhar won the Wisden Bowling Performance of the Century award in 2002 for his outstanding 6/38 against England at the Oval in 1971. This incident happened in 1971.
Ravindra Jadeja
The present all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is tenth on the list of Indian cricketers who have taken the most wickets in test matches with 242 to his credit. On the list of Indians with the most test match wickets, Jadeja is now the second all-rounder. He competed against England in his maiden game in the most demanding version of the sport in 2012. He has taken wickets with an exceptional average of 24.44 up to this point, the best ever for an Indian bowler in the test format. He has batted in 2370 runs and dazzled everyone with his superb fielding. Both of these elements of his game work together to attract the audience.
Javagal Srinath Javagal Srinath, a former fast bowler for India, with 236 Test wickets, which ranks him as the 10th highest in the nation’s history. In 1991, Srinath made his test debut against Australia. He played for more than a decade before hanging up his cleats in 2002. He served as the leader of the Indian pace attack in the early 1990s and was its main proponent. Srinath excelled at the sport of inswing bowling and was well-known for it. He went on to score an amazing 30.49 points per game on average. I hope you have thoroughly enjoyed reading through this article which is a compilation of the Indian bowlers who have nicked off the most wickets in Test matches.