Top 4 Bowlers With The Most Wickets For India In Test Cricket 

Indian Cricket is known for unearthing top-class batsmen. India always had a world-class batting lineup. Over the years, the nation has produced a plethora of batting talents, namely Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, etc. The list is endless.

However, what they lacked was a potent bowling line-up that could help them dominate the opposition in overseas conditions. Things, though, have changed quite a bit, in the last decade. Today, India have a lethal bowling attack especially in Test Cricket- an attack that can take all twenty wickets in a Test match not only at home but overseas as well.

Indian bowling, unarguably, has improved by leaps and bounds in the last decade. India has got a good list of fast bowlers who can bowl at great speed and consistently hit the right areas. Talking about Indian bowling, let’s talk a look at the top 4 Indian bowlers who have picked the most wickets for India in Test Cricket

Top 4 Bowlers With The Most Wickets For India In Test Cricket

4. Harbhajan Singh: 417 wickets 

Former Indian skipper, Harbhajan Singh is one of the best spinners India has ever produced. Popularly known as the Turbanator, Harbhajan Singh is fondly remembered for his sensational display of bowling in the historic 2001 Border-Gavaskar series against Australia. He picked a record of 32 wickets in 3 matches to revive his cricketing career. Harbhajan Singh never looked back from thereon.

The former Indian spinner hasn’t yet officially announced his retirement from international cricket, however, his last international appearance came back in 2016 in a T20 international.

In his illustrious international cricket career, Harbhajan Singh picked 417 wickets in 103 Tests, which is currently the third-joint most number of wickets by an Indian bowler in Test Cricket.

3. Ravichandran Ashwin: 417 wickets 

Indian’s current premier spinner in Test Cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin equalled Harbhajan Singh’s tally of wickets in Test Cricket on the fourth day of the ongoing Test between India and New Zealand. Prior to the start of the Test match, the Indian spinner was five wickets away from going past Harbhajan’ Singh’s tally of wickets.

He took three wickets in New Zealand’s first innings of the Test match. On the fourth day of the Test, Ashwin picked his fourth wicket in that Test to equal Harbhajan Singh’s tally.

With nine New Zealand still left to be picked on the final day, Ravichandran Ashwin will have a chance to go past Harbhajan Singh’s tally of wickets and become India’s third-highest wicket-taker in Test Cricket. Currently, Ravichandran Ashwin has 417 wickets in just 80 Test matches at an average of 24.52.

2. Kapil Dev: 434 wickets 

It’s been close to 30 years since Kapil Dev’s retirement and Indian Cricket is yet to produce another such all-rounder. The legendary Indian Cricketer is counted amongst the most successful captains India have ever produced. Kapil Dev was one of the biggest assets for the Indian Cricket Team during his era. He led India to win its first-ever World Cup title in 1983.

Kapil Dev was India’s premier fast bowler during the late 90s. He held the record for the most number of wickets in Test Cricket upon his retirement in 1994. Courtney Walsh, though, broke his record six years later. For those of you who don’t know, Kapil Dev is the first player to pick 200 wickets in ODI cricket.

Currently, he has the third-most number of wickets to his name by an Indian bowler in Test Cricket. The former Indian captain has 434 wickets in 131 Tests at an average of 29.65.

1. Anil Kumble: 619 wickets 

India’s legendary spinner, Anil Kumble tops the list with the most number of wickets by an Indian bowler in Test Cricket. One of the biggest match-winners for India, Anil Kumble served the Indian Cricket for 18 years as a player.

He picked all ten wickets in a Test match innings in 1999 against Pakistan is one of the highlights of his career. Anil Kumble wasn’t the greatest turners of the cricket ball but his accuracy, pace, and bounce helped him pick a plethora of wickets in International cricket.

In his illustrious cricketing career, Anil Kumble played 132 Tests and 271 ODIs. Kumble holds the record for the most wickets by an Indian bowler in Test Cricket. He has 619 wickets to his name in 132 Tests at an average of 29.65.