Test cricket is the oldest and purest form of cricket. It keeps the history of cricket alive and brings out the best in players. The Indian cricket team has always been a great team in tests. All the players have shown exceptional talent and won many matches for their team. And some bowlers have created great records while playing Test cricket. It would be an honor to talk about them. So, today we bring you the top ten best performances by Indian bowlers in test cricket. To start with:
1. Anil Kumble
No bowler has won more test matches for India than him. In the India vs. Pakistan test match, held in Delhi on 4th February 1999, Anil Kumble took 10 wickets in a single innings. He gave away just 73 runs in 26.3 overs. He became the second bowler in history to take ten wickets in a test innings. He has taken a total of 619 wickets in his test career.
2. JM Patel
This happened in test match no-483 in Kanpur on 19th December 1959. In the India vs. Australia match, Jasubhai Motibhai Patel took nine wickets in an innings. It stayed the best bowling figure by any Indian bowler in test history for 40 years. It was taken over by Kumble in 1999. He gave away 69 runs in 35.5 overs.
3. Kapil Dev
In India vs. West Indies test match on 12th November 1983, Kapil Dev took nine wickets. He gave away 83 runs in 30.3 overs with an economy of 2.72. Kapil has a total of 434 wickets in his test career. He is one of the greatest pace bowlers India has ever produced. His heroics led India towards the 1983 World Cup Victory.
4. SP Gupte
This deceased Indian player, Subhash Chandra Pandharinath Gupte, was the best leg-break googly bowler of his time. He took 149 wickets in his 36 match-test careers. In India vs. West Indies test match of 1958, Gupte took nine wickets in 34.3 overs while giving away 102 runs. This match took place in Kanpur on 12th December.
5. MH Mankad
Mankad holds two test bowling records to his name, and both of which happened in the same year. He took eight wickets against Pakistan and England both in the year 1952. He had an economy of less than 2 in both games. He also took 162 wickets in his test career of 44 matches. Apart from this, he also has scored double centuries in two series.
6. Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh is a retired Indian cricket player who is a right arm off break bowler and a right-hand batsman. He has taken 417 wickets in his test career. In India vs. Australia test match in 2001, he took eight wickets and bowled with an economy of 2.00. he also took 32 wickets in the three-test match series.
7. Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja is one of the best all-rounders currently playing for the Indian cricket team. He took seven wickets in just 12 overs while giving 42 runs. This happened in India vs. Australia test match in February of 2023. He has 268 wickets to his name in his test career. He also has a high score of 175 in tests.
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is the leading off-spinner of the current Indian bowling attack. He has taken 474 wickets in his test career with an economy of 2.76. In India vs. South Africa test in 2015, Ashwin took seven wickets. He has a similar record of seven wickets in a test match against West Indies in 2016.
9. NH Hirwani
Former Indian first-class player Narendra Deepchand Hirwani has represented India as a leg-spinner. He has taken 66 wickets in just 17 test matches. In India vs. West Indies test match in 1998 in Chennai, he took eight wickets in 18.3 overs with an economy of 3.29. He again took eight wickets in west indies’ second innings.
10. Ishant Sharma
Ishant has represented India in international as well as domestic cricket since 2007. He has taken 311 wickets in test cricket with an economy of 3.15. Ishant took seven wickets in India vs. England test match in 2014. This match happened at Lords’ stadium. He bowled for 23 overs and gave away 72 runs.
