The Indian bowling attack has been overshadowed by the excellence in the batting department. India has produced so many lethal and talented players, especially in the bowling department. Similarly, picking a five-wicket haul in an innings is always a great achievement for any aspiring bowler. Some experts say that this achievement is equal to the batsman scoring a century. But, picking five wickets in an overseas condition is an intense challenge, especially for Indian bowlers. Let us look at some of the modern-day Indian bowlers (post-2000) who picked famous five-wicket hauls at different venues.
1. Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh has been one of the finest bowlers India has produced. His unique bowling action and skill of bowling 'Doosra' was his special attributes. His famous overseas five-wicket haul came at Hamilton, New Zealand in the 2009 series. Harbhajan picked 6 for 63 which helped India to win easily by 10 wickets. India also won that test series against New Zealand under the MS Dhoni captaincy.
2. Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan one of the greatest Indian fast bowlers picked many five-wicket hauls at different venues. He also holds the record for the most number of five-wicket hauls by Indians in New Zealand. The famous overseas performance came in 2002-03 against New Zealand. He cleaned New Zealand batsman for just 94 when India was bowled out for 99. It was a one-man show in Hamilton, he picked 5 for 29 with four maidens.
3. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble, former captain, and coach of the Indian Cricket team played an important role in shaping the role of the spinner in overseas conditions. Anil Kumble still holds the record for picking the most number of wickets for India. The remarkable five-wicket haul came in the 2007 series when India toured Australia. He picked 5 for 84 at Melbourne, which is known for a batting paradise. Anil Kumble picked around 215 wickets outside of India which shows the versatility of his career.
4. Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma, the tall right-arm fast bowler has a lot of instances to cherish away from home. He has played numerous test matches outside Asian conditions and has nine five-wicket hauls under his name. One of the moments which Indian fans remember is when Ishant picked 7 for 74 at the famous venue Lord's to help India to gain a famous victory. It was India's first victory at Lord’s after 28 years.
5. Praveen Kumar
Praveen Kumar had one of the best moments during 2011. India toured England led by MS Dhoni and suffered a humiliating defeat but it was Praveen Kumar who could hold his head up after this series. He put up a massive performance in the first test picking 5 for 106 with the strongest England batting lineup at the front.
6. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar
Bhuvaneshwar is one of the few Indian bowlers who flourished in overseas conditions rather than at home. After the retirement of legendary Zaheer Khan, it was Bhuvaneshwar who gave Indian Cricket a stable performance. One of his best performances came at the Lord’s cricket ground which is also known as the home of cricket. He picked 6 for 82 and became the 13th Indian bowler to get his name on Lord’s honor board.
7. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the successful present-day spinners in Indian Cricket. Ashwin has tasted success in all formats including T20 cricket. Recently, he has improved his batting performance but his performance outside the home has always been undermined. Ashwin has picked a five-wicket haul outside the home which came at Antigua, West Indies when India toured West Indies in 2016. He picked 7 for 83 making his best figures outside the home.
8. Jasprit Bumrah
The unorthdox Indian pace bowler who tasted success in almost all the famous countries. Jasprit Bumrah has been lauded by most legendary bowlers and predicted that he could be the next big thing for Indian Cricket. His famous overseas five-wicket haul came at Melbourne Cricket ground against Australia. He picked 6 for 33 in the 2018 series which helped India to win that match and also played a major role in winning the test series in Australia.
9. Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur who was picked as a bowling all-rounder started showing his worth in the recent overseas test series. Thakur who is popularly known as 'Lord Thakur' picked his five-wicket haul at Johannesburg, South Africa when India toured recently in 2022. He picked 7 for 61 making his best test figures.
10. Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj is one of the late entries for becoming the future star of the Indian bowling attack. With the sheer positive performance in the Indian Premier League, he was selected for the test series against Australia. It didn't take him long to pick a five-wicket haul in overseas conditions. In Melbourne Cricket ground, he grabbed 5 for 73 which also helped India to win a 2021 series against Australia.
