5 Highest Test Wicket-Takers For India In England

The improvement of the domestic structure and the backing of pacers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has given Team India a plethora of options in the bowling department. They have risen in terms of their bowling in Tests, and have registered quite a few wins abroad in tough conditions.

While the batsmen have blown hot and cold, the pacers and the tweakers have combined to go toe-to-toe with the best of the home team’s bowlers.

The most recent such event was witnessed in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where despite losing quite a few first-team players to injuries, India was able to field a strong playing XI that out-bowled and out-batted the Australian team at the Gabba.

Also, home teams are worried about preparing green pitches for matches against India considering the bowling fire-power they have nowadays. Gone are the days when India was dependent on its batsmen to outscore the opposition because now, they arguably have the best bowling line-up in the world in Tests.

Here, we take a look at 5 highest Test wicket-takers for Team India in England

5) Mohammad Shami (32 wickets)

The potent pace-trio comprising of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Shami have wreaked havoc in the opposition ranks. Shami has emerged as one of the best bowlers for India in the longest format, picking up a total of 191 wickets.

On pitches in England, Shami has been very successful in his career. His best figures in England came at the Rose Bowl back in the 2018 tour, where he picked up 4/57. Shami’s average in England is his worst overall, a high 40.72 which is quite surprising.

Even his strike rate has been poor, and many believe it’s down to his rotten luck while bowling in England. He induced the most false shots among the batsmen in the 2018 tour, but only had 16 wickets to show for it. In total, the Uttar Pradesh-born pacer has picked up 32 wickets.

4) Bishan Singh Bedi (35 wickets)

The left-arm spinner, Bishan Singh Bedi, was part of India’s famous spin quartet back in the late ’60s and early ’70s. In a total of 67 Tests, Bedi has picked up a whopping 266 wickets, which includes fourteen 5-wicket hauls.

Bedi has enjoyed a fair amount of success on English soil as well. In just 12 matches, he has accounted for 35 English wickets, including getting his name etched on the Lord’s honors board for his figures of 6/226 in the 1974 Test.

The venue is also his second most successful one outside India, after Sabina Park in the West Indies. At the ‘Home of Cricket’, he has scalped 17 wickets at an average of 28.94. Despite being involved in several controversies during his 13-year long career, Bedi will go down as one of India’s greatest bowlers.

3) Anil Kumble (36 wickets)

The legendary leg-spinner, Anil Kumble, was generally India’s go-to bowler when in distress. He is one of only two bowlers in the history of cricket to pick up 10 wickets in an innings.

He sits in the fourth position among bowlers with most Test wickets, having picked up 619 wickets in 132 matches. In February 2015, Kumble became only the 4th Indian cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

England generally hasn’t been among his favorite venues. Apart from New Zealand, the UK has been the only major country where Kumble hasn’t picked up a five-wicket haul. His best figures of 4/66 came at Headingley in his only Test there.

He averages well over 50 at Edgbaston, Kennington Oval, and Old Trafford, an indication of his struggle in English conditions. Despite that, he ranks third among the Indian bowlers with the most wickets in England, having grabbed 36 wickets in total.

2) Kapil Dev (43 wickets)

India’s first World cup winning captain, Kapil Dev, is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders the sport has ever witnessed. He was known for his devious medium pace and explosive batsmanship in the middle-order. He led India to its first big glory in a multi-nation event by winning the 1983 World Cup.

In 131 Test matches, Kapil has taken 434 wickets with a best of 9/83 coming in a losing cause against the all-conquering West Indies side in 1983. Although India wasn’t a good traveling country back in those days, Kapil produced plenty of magic with the ball in hand.

He has taken a total of 43 wickets, which includes two five-wicket hauls in Edgbaston and Lord’s. Like Bishan Singh Bedi, Kapil’s favorite venue was also the Lord’s, where he averages 32.53 and has picked up 17 wickets. He was also the captain when India defeated England in their own den for the second time in its history.

1) Ishant Sharma (51 wickets)

After coming up the ranks as the tall lanky pacer who troubled Ricky Ponting in his prime, Ishant Sharma was expected to become one of the all-time greats. Unfortunately, a sullen spell saw him lose his spot in the side, only to come back even stronger than before.

By far, England remains his favorite overseas country. His stunning spell in the 2014 Test at Lord’s earned India a memorable victory. He bounced out almost half the side and ended with career-best figures of 7/74 in the fourth innings of the Test, thereby taking India to a 95-run victory.

He also has a five-wicket-haul at Edgbaston which he claimed during the 2018 tour which India lost 1-4. A total of 51 wickets puts him at the top of the list and is also the only Indian bowler to achieve the 50-wicket milestone in the UK.

In the ongoing 5-Test series against England, he once again delivered when it mattered. Ishant had figures of 3/69 and 2/13 in the first and second innings, providing India with the crucial breakthroughs of Haseeb Hameed and Jonny Bairstow in the second which fashioned India’s come-from-behind 151-run victory.

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