The Most Wickets For India In Test Cricket: The Indian cricket team is well-known for producing world-class batsmen & bowlers. India’s batting lineup has always been world-class. Over the years, the country (INDIA) has produced the best batting talents, including Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma. The list is endless. There are the best bowlers who have etched their names in the record books by taking wickets for India. Including Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Kapil Dev, Ishant Sharm, & R Ashwin. Today, India has a lethal bowling attack, particularly in Test Cricket. The best bowling attack is capable of taking all twenty wickets in a Test match not only at home but also in overseas countries.
Doubtlessly, the Indian cricket team bowling lineup has improved by leaps and bounds in the last decade. India has a strong pool of fast bowlers who can bowl at high speeds and consistently hit the right spots. The following is a list of 5 Indian bowlers who have taken the most wickets for India in Test cricket.
Ranking The List Of Top 5 Bowlers With The Most Wickets For India In Test Cricket.
| Rankings | Player Name | Career Span | Matches | Innings | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Avg | Econ | 5 Wkts | 10 Wkts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Anil Kumble | 1990-2008 | 132 | 236 | 619 | 10/74 | 14/149 | 29.65 | 2.69 | 35 | 8 |
| 02 | N Kapil Dev | 1978-1994 | 131 | 227 | 434 | 9/83 | 11/146 | 29.64 | 2.78 | 23 | 2 |
| 03 | Ravichandran Ashwin | 2011-Present | 80* | 150 | 419 | 7/59 | 13/140 | 24.48 | 2.79 | 30 | 7 |
| 04 | Harbhajan Singh | 1998-2015 | 103 | 190 | 417 | 8/84 | 15/217 | 32.46 | 2.84 | 25 | 5 |
| 05 | Ishant Sharma | 2007-Present | 105* | 188 | 311 | 7/74 | 10/108 | 32.40 | 3.15 | 11 | 1 |
1. Anil Kumble Took The Most Wickets For India In Test Cricket – 619 Wickets
Anil Kumble, India’s legendary spinner, leads the list with the most wickets by an Indian bowler in Test cricket. Anil Kumble, one of India’s most prolific match-winners, played for the country for 18 years. One of his career highlights was taking all ten wickets in a Test match innings against Pakistan in 1999. Anil Kumble wasn’t the greatest cricket ball turner, but his accuracy, pace, and bounce helped him pick up a slew of wickets in international cricket. Anil Kumble played 132 Tests and 271 One-Day Internationals during his illustrious cricketing career. Kumble holds the record for the most Test wickets by an Indian bowler. In 132 Tests, he has 619 wickets at an average of 29.65.
2. N Kapil Dev – 434 Test Wickets
Kapil Dev retired nearly 28 years ago, and Indian cricket has yet to produce another all-rounder of his career. The legendary Indian cricketer is regarded as one of the most successful captains in the country’s history. Kapil Dev was one of the Indian Cricket Team’s most valuable assets during his tenure. He led India to its first World Cup victory in 1983. Kapil Dev was India’s best fast bowler in the late 1990s. He held the record for the most Test wickets taken when he retired in 1994. Courtney Walsh broke his record six years later. For those who are unaware, Kapil Dev is the first player in ODI history to have taken 200 wickets. He currently has the second-highest number of Test wickets of any Indian bowler. In 131 Tests, the former Indian skipper & All-rounder has 434 wickets at an average of 29.65.
3. Ravichandran Ashwin – 419 Wickets (2011-Present)
Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s current Test spinner, equaled Harbhajan Singh’s Test wicket tally on the fourth day of the ongoing Test between India vs New Zealand. Before the start of the Test match, the Indian spinner was five wickets short of breaking Harbhajan Singh’s record. In New Zealand’s first innings of the Test match, he took 3 wickets. On the fourth day of the Test, Ashwin took his fourth wicket, tying Harbhajan Singh’s record. Ravichandran Ashwin surpassed Harbhajan Singh’s test wicket total and become India’s third-highest wicket-taker in Test Cricket history. Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s best off-spinner, currently has 419 test wickets in only 80 Test matches at an average of 24.48.
4. Harbhajan Singh Took 417 Wickets In His Test Cricket Career (1998-2015).
Harbhajan Singh is India’s most successful off-spin bowler. He is a player with passion and talent. Harbhajan Singh is regarded as one of India’s best spinners. Harbhajan Singh, also known as the Turbanator, is best remembered for his sensational bowling performance in the historic 2001 Border-Gavaskar series against Australia. He picked up 32 wickets in three matches to resurrect his cricket career. Harbhajan Singh has never looked back since. The former Indian spinner has officially announced his retirement from international cricket, but his last appearance came in a T20 international in 2016. Harbhajan Singh picked 417 wickets in 103 Tests during his illustrious international cricket career, which is currently the fourth-highest number of wickets by an Indian bowler in Test Cricket.
5. Ishant Sharma – 311 Test Wickets (2007-Present).
Ishant Sharma is one of the best right-arm fast-medium bowlers in the current team, and he and R Ashwin are India’s leading test wicket-takers. Ishant Sharma shot to prominence when he bowled a dream spell to Ricky Ponting in the Perth Test during India’s 2008 tour of Australia. During the 2007-08 Test series in Australia, Ishant Sharma rose to prominence. He’s 6’4″ stature and rhythmic, high-arm action allowed him to bowl at around 140 kph.
Ishant also had the distinction of bowling the fastest ball ever bowled by an Indian, clocking 152.6 km/h (94.8mph) against Australia on February 17, 2008. In the process, he became the first Indian to bowl at speeds exceeding 150 km/h, surpassing teammate Ashish Nehra’s 149.7 kph delivery. When he finished 50 Tests in early 2013, he had one of the lowest averages among bowlers with 50 Test caps. He was the top wicket-taker in Tests with 15 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls, during the New Zealand tour. Ishant Sharma has 311 test wickets at an average of 24.52 in 105* Test matches.
FAQ’s About Most Wickets For India In Test Cricket
Q. Who has taken the most Test wickets for India?
Anil Kumble is India’s all-time leading wicket-taker in men’s international test cricket. In his test career from 1990 to 2008, the leg-break googly spin bowler took 617 wickets.
Q. Who has taken 600 Test wickets? or Fastest to 600 wickets in Test cricket history?
The list is compiled from the start of the Test debut match in which the milestone was achieved. Only 4 bowlers in Test cricket history have taken 600 test wickets. They are listed below.
| Rankings | Player Name | Debut Date | Time Taken To Reach The milestone | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | M Muralitharan (ICC/SL) | 28 August 1992 | 13 Years 192 Days | 101 |
| 02 | Anil Kumble (INDIA) | 9 August 1990 | 17 Years 160 Days | 124 |
| 03 | SK Warne (AUS) | 2 Jan 1992 | 13 Years 221 Days | 126 |
| 04 | JM Anderson (ENG) | 22 May 2003 | 17 Years 91 Days | 156 |
Also, Checkout: Ranking The Indian Cricket Players Who Have Scored Century On Test Debut | All-Time Rankings.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed reading the list of India’s top 5 most wicket-takers in Test cricket history. This article is based on the most recent updates of ESPNcricinfo.com Test Cricket bowling records for India. So, if you want to keep up to date with the latest cricket news, go through the entire list above. We’d appreciate it if you could leave your thoughts in the comments section about this article. Our website makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the information.
Source: ESPNcricinfo.com
