Former leg-spinner Anil Kumble holds the record for taking the most wickets for India in Tests. Anil Kumble took 619 wickets in his 132 Test matches, including 35 five-wicket hauls and 8 ten-wicket hauls. Kumble has taken the fourth-most wickets in Test cricket history. Anil Kumble has played an important role in helping India win Test matches against various opponents both at home and SENA countries since making his Test debut against England in 1990. He has done his job with India’s best off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to take 501 wickets in 54 matches, the most by any spin bowling pair. In 2008, Anil Kumble played his final Test against Australia at Feroz Shah Kotla.
After the introduction of T20 cricket, Test cricket has become the most underappreciated cricket format. However, it reveals the true character, patience, and skill of a player, particularly a bowler. To get wickets, a bowler must be rigid and bowl consistently on good length with a bit of swing, as batters do not simply give their wicket away. India has done exceptionally well in test cricket, particularly since MS Dhoni’s retirement and the appointment of Virat Kohli as captain. Many bowlers have come and gone in the game’s longest format over the years. So let’s look at the bowlers who have taken the most wickets in Tests for India.
Most Wickets For India In Tests: Who Has Taken The Most Wicket For India In Test Cricket?
| Player | Matches | Wickets | BBI | Average | Econ | SR | Five Wicket Haul | Ten Wicket Haul |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anil Kumble | 132 | 619 | 10/74 | 29.65 | 2.69 | 65.9 | 35 | 8 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 86 | 442 | 7/59 | 24.13 | 2.77 | 52.2 | 30 | 7 |
| Kapil Dev | 131 | 434 | 9/83 | 29.64 | 2.78 | 63.9 | 23 | 2 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 103 | 417 | 8/84 | 32.46 | 2.84 | 68.5 | 25 | 5 |
| Ishant Sharma | 105 | 311 | 7/74 | 32.40 | 3.15 | 61.6 | 11 | 1 |
| Zaheer Khan | 92 | 311 | 7/87 | 32.94 | 3.27 | 60.4 | 11 | 1 |
| Bishan Bedi | 67 | 266 | 7/98 | 28.71 | 2.14 | 80.3 | 14 | 1 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 60 | 242 | 7/48 | 24.71 | 2.43 | 60.9 | 10 | 1 |
| Bhagwath Chandrasekhar | 58 | 242 | 8/79 | 29.74 | 2.70 | 65.9 | 16 | 2 |
| Javagal Srinath | 67 | 236 | 8/86 | 30.49 | 2.85 | 64.0 | 10 | 1 |
1. Anil Kumble- 619 Test Wickets In 132 Matches
Anil Kumble, a former Indian leg-spinner, has taken the most wickets (619) in tests for India. Kumble made his test debut against England in 1990 and played test cricket for the next 19 years before retiring in 2008. Kumble was a bit faster than other spinners, bowling wicket to wicket to trap the batsman with his slight spin. Anil is also the third-highest wicket-taker in test cricket history. In 1999, he took ten wickets against Pakistan in a single inning in Delhi. In tests, he also has the most 8 ten-wicket hauls and 35 five-wicket haul for India.
2. Ravichandran Ashwin- 442 Test Wickets 86 Matches
The current best Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin ranks second in most test wickets (442) for India. Ashwin made his test debut in 2011 and has performed admirably thus far. Ashwin is known for bowling on the same spot with different variations. In every test match, he averages 5.1 wickets. Ashwin also has the highest bowling average (24.1) among Indian bowlers who have played more than 60 matches. He has also performed admirably with the bat, scoring 2931 runs, including five centuries and 12 half-centuries. If Ashwin continues his test career he is expected to break Anil Kumble’s record of 619 wickets. Ashwin now has the second-highest five-wicket haul (30) among Indian bowlers in the game’s longest format.
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3. Kapil Dev- 434 Test Wickets In 131 Matches
Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has taken the third most wickets (434) for India in tests. He made his first test appearance against Pakistan in 1978 and retired in 1994. Kapil is the list’s only all-rounder. He is also the first fastest Indian first-wicket taker with 400 test wickets. Kapil has the highest average (29.6) among Indian fast bowlers who have played more than 100 tests. In addition to wickets, he has scored 5248 runs with the bat. Kapil Dev is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time.
Read also- Top 10 Batsmen Who has scored most runs in Test for England | All-time Updates
4. Harbhajan Singh- 417 Test Wickets In 103 Matches
Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has India’s fourth most test wickets (417). He represented India in test cricket for 17 years (1998-2015). Harbhajan Singh is India’s first off-spinner to reach 400 test wickets. He used to take wickets in any condition. He has achieved a commendable bowling average of 32.46. He has 25 five-wicket hauls and five 10-wicket hauls in his Test career.
Read also- Fastest Batsmen To Reach 2000 Runs In Test Cricket History (By Innings)
5. Ishant Sharma- 311 Test Wickets In 105 Matches
Ishant Sharma, India’s fastest bowler, ranks fifth on the list of the most Test wickets (311). Ishant played his first test in 2007, and he has performed admirably in the longest format of the game, taking wickets at a commendable average of 32.40. He is currently the most experienced bowler on the Indian team, having played 100 test matches as the country’s fourth bowler. So far, he has taken eleven 5-wicket hauls in the game’s most difficult format.
6. Zaheer Khan- 311 Test Wickets In 92 Test Matches
Zaheer Khan, an Indian left-arm seamer, has taken the sixth most wickets (311 in test matches) for India. Zaheer made his test debut against Bangladesh in 2000 and last played against New Zealand in 2014. Khan was well-known for his accurate bowling, as well as his ability to swing the ball both ways and trouble the batsmen. He is India’s only left-arm fast bowler who has played more than 50 test matches and taken more than 300 wickets. He was the captain of India’s fast bowling attack at the time.
7. Bishan Bedi- 266 Test Wickets In 67 Matches
Bishan Bedi is a former Indian cricketer. From 1966 to 1979, he was India’s famous spin quartet. He took 266 wickets in 67 Tests. He also captained the national team in 22 Test matches. Bishan Bedi was the best left-arm spinner in the 1970s. He took wickets at an incredible average of 28.71. As a left-arm spinner, Bedi has 14 five-wicket hauls for India. Bishan Bedi also has the most first-class wickets (1560) among Indian bowlers.
8. Ravindra Jadeja- 242 Test Wickets For India
Ravindra Jadeja, the current Indian all-rounder, is ranked eighth in terms of most Test wickets (242) for India. Jadeja ranks second among Indian all-rounders in terms of most test wickets. In 2012, he made his first appearance in the game’s longest format against England. He has taken wickets at an excellent average of 24.7, which is the highest among Indian test bowlers. Along with the ball, he has scored 2523 runs with the bat and has wowed everyone with his superb fielding.
Read also- Most number of Test matches played by a cricketer in Test cricket history.
9. B.S. Chandrasekhar- 242 Test Wickets In 58 Matches
Bhagwat Subramanya Chandrasekhar is a former Indian cricketer. He was a leg spinner who was regarded as one of the best in the world, alongside E.A.S. He has the ninth-most test wickets (242) for India. He troubled batsmen a lot during his 15-year test career (1964-1979) with his outstanding leg-break bowling. He was India’s best leg-spinner before Anil Kumble. He had a respectable 29.74 bowling average. In 2002, Chandrasekhar was awarded the “Wisden Bowling Performance of the Century” award for his outstanding 6/38 performance against England at the Oval in 1971.
10. Javagal Srinath- 236 Test Wickets In 67 Matches
Javagal Srinath is a former Indian cricketer who is now an ICC match official. He is regarded as one of India’s best fast bowlers, and he is the first Indian fast bowler to take over 300 wickets in One Day Internationals. Javagal Srinath is a former Indian cricketer who is now an ICC match official. Former Indian fast bowler Javagal Srinath holds the record for the 10th most Test wickets (236) for India. Javagal Srinath made his test debut against Australia in 1991 and played for more than a decade before retiring in 2002. In the early 1990s, he was the leader of the Indian pace attack. Srinath was well-known for his outstanding inswing bowling. He continued with a fantastic average of 30.49.
Top 5 Active Bowler With Most Wickets In Tests For India | Which current bowler has the most Test wickets for India?
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Average | Econ | SR | Five-wicket haul | Ten-wicket haul |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 86 | 442 | 24.13 | 2.77 | 52.2 | 30 | 7 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 60 | 242 | 24.71 | 2.43 | 60.9 | 10 | 1 |
| Mohammed Shami | 60 | 216 | 27.45 | 3.28 | 50.1 | 6 | 0 |
| Umesh Yadav | 52 | 158 | 30.80 | 3.54 | 52.1 | 3 | 1 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 30 | 128 | 21.99 | 2.69 | 48.9 | 8 | 0 |
Conclusion
This article is based on the top 10 most wickets for India in Tests, and it has been updated with statistics from ESPNcricinfo.com‘s official July 2022 updates. We hope you enjoyed our article; please share your valuable thoughts in the comments section; we appreciate your feedback. This page’s content is subject to change at any time without notice. Our website makes no guarantees about the information’s accuracy.
