Bowlers With The Most Test Wickets In India 

Indian Cricket Team has done exceedingly well in Test Cricket over the last decade. On Monday, India beat New Zealand in the second Test by a huge margin of 372 runs to win the game and take the series 2-0. It was India’s 14 consecutive series win at home. India have always been a team to beat at home in Test Cricket. Not a lot of teams have managed to win a Test series against India in India.

The overseas teams, in particular, struggle whenever they tour India to play a Test series. The overseas batsmen’s inability to play spin well is one of the biggest reasons behind their downfall in India. Spinners have always ruled the roost for India in Test Cricket. The Indian bowlers have done exceedingly well while playing for the nation in Test Cricket.

Over the years, we have witnessed bowlers exhibiting sensational performances for India in Test Cricket at home. In this article, we take a look at the top four bowlers with the most Test wickets in India.

Bowlers With The Most Test Wickets In India

1. Anil Kumble: 350 wickets

Former legendary spinner, Anil Kumble is hailed as one of the biggest match-winners India have ever produced. Kumble wasn’t the greatest turners of the ball and would rely on his pace, bounce and accuracy to pick wickets. He couldn’t spin the ball a lot but still managed to pick the most wickets for India in Test Cricket.

He currently has the third most number of wickets in Test Cricket only behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne. Anil Kumble also has the most Test wickets in India. He picked 350 wickets in India, which is the most by any bowler. Overall, Anil Kumble claimed 619 wickets in 132 Tests at an average of 29.6. Anil Kumble is the only Indian bowler to have picked 10 wickets in an innings in a Test match. Only two other bowlers apart from him have managed to achieve that feat in Test Cricket.

2. Ravichandran Ashwin: 300 wickets 

Ravichandran Ashwin yet again produced a sensational bowling performance in the recently concluded home Test series against New Zealand. In 2 Tests, he managed to pick 14 wickets at an average of 11.36. Ashwin bagged the Player of the Series award for his performance. The Indian spinner was also outstanding in the home Test series against England played earlier this year.

In 4 Tests, Ravichandran Ashwin picked 32 wickets at an average of 14.72. Ashwin has now 350 Test wickets in India, which is the second pick most by an Indian bowler. With at least a couple of years ahead of him, Ashwin can surpass Anil Kumble to pick the most Test wickets in India. So far in his illustrious career, Ravi Ashwin has claimed 427 wickets in 81 Tests at an average of 24.12.

3. Harbhajan Singh: 265 wickets

Former Indian spinner, Harbhajan Singh is third in the list with 265 Test wickets in India. When you talk about Harbhajan Singh, the one which comes first in mind was his historic performance as a young spinner during the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Test series. He picked 32 wickets in just 3 Tests at an average of 17.03. His performance helped the team create history as India won a Test series against Australia by a 2-1 margin.

That performance helped him revive his international cricket career. The Indian off-spinner went on to produce a plethora of match-inning performances. In his Test Cricket Career, he took 417 wickets at an average of 32.46.

4. Kapil Dev: 219 wickets 

India legendary World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev is the only Indian fast bowler present on the list. He is hailed as the best all-rounder India has ever produced. Under his leadership, India won their first-ever ICC World Cup in 1983.

Kapil Dev used to spearhead the fast bowling attack and was also a destructive hitter with the batter. With his ability to swing and seam the ball, the former skipper managed to pick 434 wickets in 131 Tests at an average of 29.4. Of those 434 wickets, 219 came in India, which is the fourth most by an Indian bowler.