Top 5 Wicket-Takers In India-Australia Tests

Feb 21, 2017 at 12:36 PM

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Top 5 Wicket-Takers In India-Australia Tests

As India and Australia prepare to battle it out for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy, the onus will be upon bowlers to lead their team’s cause. While the Australians have relied on their menacing new ball duo of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, India are more than content to unleash their spin twins – Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

In Ashwin and Jadeja, India have found an ideal hunting pair that preys upon the helpless visiting batsmen. Four years ago, they began their journey as a pair against this very side, in what turned out to be a memorable Test series for India with a 4-0 series victory.

Keeping in mind the contribution of bowlers in context of the upcoming series, let’s have a look at the top 5 bowlers with most wickets in Tests between these two teams. A very interesting aspect about this has been that not a single Australian features in this list, which is bound to come down as a shock to several fans.

  1. EAS Prasanna – 57 wickets:

The yesteryear spin great had a terrific record against Australia as he managed to take 57 wickets against the Kangaroos in just 13 Tests. What made Prasanna’s achievements even great was the fact that he enjoyed bowling Down Under as well and had terrific numbers in conditions that weren’t friendly for spinners. Being from the golden old school of spin bowling, Prasanna believed in foxing batsmen with his deceptions and was quite successful at doing so, as his average remained 28.71.

  1. Zaheer Khan – 61 wickets:

Playing against the top teams often got the best out of Zaheer Khan, and Australia was at the receiving end of Zaheer’s class on numerous occasions. The left-arm pacer enjoyed bowling to the Kangaroos, with 61 wickets in 19 games at a bowling average of 35.59. In those 19 games, Zaheer managed three five-wicket hauls, the last of which came in a match winning cause at Mohali.

Zaheer could have easily added more to his 61 wickets had injuries not come in his way, since he missed two complete tours of Australia after playing just the series opener in 2003/04 and 2007/08. Fair to say, with Zaheer in his absolute prime in those years, the numbers would have stacked up a remarkable figure indeed.

Kapil Dev
  1. Kapil Dev – 79 wickets:

Undoubtedly, India’s greatest ever pacer, Kapil Dev was top notch against the Australians as he managed to pick 79 wickets in just 20 Tests. In those matches, Dev managed to get a five-wicket haul on seven occasions and took these wickets at a superb average of just 25.35, as opposed to his career average of 29.64. Among all those fine bowling spells against Australia, the one performance from him, which shall remain immortal, would be at Melbourne, as his heroics helped India successfully defend a total as low as just 125 to win the game.

  1. Harbhajan Singh – 95 wickets:

Harbhajan Singh would surely go down among the greatest villains for Australian cricket. The off-spinner was nothing less than a thorn in the flesh for the Kangaroos, as he numerously decimated them with his guile and craft. 95 wickets in just 18 Tests is a matter of great pride for any bowler as he managed to take seven five-wicket hauls. It was against this very team when Harbhajan became the first ever Indian to take a hat-trick in Test cricket in that epic 2001 Eden Gardens Test. He went on to make former Australian captain Ricky Ponting his greatest bunny, as he had no issues in foxing out the Tasmania batting great on several occasions.

  1. Anil Kumble – 111 wickets

Heading this elite bowling list is none other than India’s most successful bowler in Test cricket – Anil Kumble. The leg-spinner was at his supreme best against Australia, as with 111 wickets in just 20 games, Kumble tops the bowling charts. Those 111 wickets came at a bowling average of 30.32 to go along with 10 five-wicket hauls.

A five-wicket haul in every other game on an average makes for a tremendous feat indeed. Kumble’s record in Australia remains stellar as well with an unforgettable display of spin bowling at Sydney in January 2004, where he took eight wickets in an innings. In the famous victory at Perth for India during the 2007/08 tour as well, Kumble was in great nick as he managed to pick a few crucial wickets. All in all, Kumble’s excellent bowling is a key reason behind India’s Test wins over Australia.

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