Five great Indian bowlers with the most wickets in tests

Test cricket has been the most popular format in cricket’s long-term history. Test cricket is the longest format of the sport, in which a match can last up to five days. Five-day matches are slower and quite eventful for the majority of fans, especially the younger ones.

The longest format differs from the other two formats of the game. It is played with the red ball and often with a different level of mindset. You will never see a slip fielder in T20 cricket, but it is important to place a slip fielder in test cricket because taking wickets is the main motive of the bowling side.

The attacking mindset in test cricket often favours the bowler, and we see 8, 9, and 10 wicket-hauls in single innings.

Today we will cover the five great Indian players with the most wickets in Test cricket.

Also Read: The 5 great players with the most runs in test cricket history

1.Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble is the leading wicket taker for India in tests, having taken a total of 619 wickets in his test career. Kumble made his test debut for India against England in Manchester on August 9, 1990. In 2006, Kumble achieved a milestone, becoming the fourth-highest wicket-taker worldwide. In 1999, Kumble took all 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan, becoming the second player to achieve this figure.

2.Ravi Ashwin

In second place, we have current Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has a total of 490 test cricket wickets. Ashwin has a strike rate of 51.48. The 37-year-old all-rounder made his test-side debut on November 6, 2011 against the West Indies. Ashwin is known for his line-to-line bowling to trap the batsmen. He also averages 23.69, the best bowling average among Indian bowlers who have at least played 60 test matches. He has also been fantastic with his bat, scoring 3193 runs and adding five test-match centuries to his name. Ashwin is now the second-highest wicket-taker for India and will end his career with his name written in the books of Indian greats.

3.Kapil Dev

Former Indian captain Kapil Dev is the third-highest wicket-taker for India in tests, with 434 wickets to his name. Kapil Dev made his test debut against Pakistan on October 16, 1978, in Faisalabad. Kapil was the first Indian bowler to achieve the mark of 400 test wickets. He has the best bowling average (29.64) among Indian fast bowlers who have played more than 70 test matches. Kapil ended his career as one of the best all-rounders, scoring 5248 runs and picking up 434 wickets in his 16-year contribution to the game.

4. Harbhajan Singh

Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has grabbed the fourth-most wickets for India in tests. In his 18 years of test cricket, he has picked up a total of 417 dismissals with a moderate average of 32.46. He was the first Indian off-spinner to get to a mark of 400 test wickets. Harbhajan used to take wickets regardless of the conditions. He has 25 5-fors and 5 10-fors.

5. Zaheer Khan

Left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan holds the position of the fifth-highest wicket taker for India in tests. He made his first test appearance on November 10, 2000, in Dhaka. Khan was known for his accurate bowling; he could swing the ball both ways and trouble the batter. He is the only left-arm fast bowler to play 50 or more matches and take 300 wickets for India. Zaheer Khan played his last test match for India on February 14, 2014, against New Zealand.

Players with the most test wickets for India

Source: Cricbuzz