Is Ravichandran Ashwin India’s most prolific Test wicket-taker?
Ravichandran Ashwin retired from Test, ODI and T20I cricket during December 2024’s Border-Gavaskar Series.
Ashwin took 537 wickets in 106 Tests. He put together some prolific numbers over an extended period.
But how good was he, statistically, compared to India’s other top wicket-takers in Test cricket?
It is time to find out via this interesting list.
5. Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja is the only player on this list still playing Test cricket. He might have the opportunity to surpass some of the others if he sticks at the longest format of the international game longer. For now, Jadeja has taken 319 wickets in 78 Tests.
He is an elite all-rounder, too. Like Dev and Ashwin, he has contributed many valuable runs to the Indian cause.
4. Harbhajan Singh
From 1998 to 2015, Harbhajan played 103 Tests and claimed 417 wickets. This tally included five 10-fors and 25 five-fors. He really knew how to rag the ball in conducive conditions, especially on the sub-continent.
Singh also enjoyed the benefit of additional bounce on some wickets. He could be a veritable hothead at times, but this characteristic just added to his high impact with the ball.
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3. Kapil Dev
The only seamer on this list, Dev was also an excellent all-rounder. He captained India as well. Dev’s 434 wickets in 131 Tests came across a whopping 4,600-plus overs.
That’s a lot of running in and some big fitness from the mustached man. He took two 10-fors and 23 five-fors from 1978 to 1994. When he called it quits in Test cricket, the game lost a great personality.
2. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin ended as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. It’s unlikely he will be overtaken by Jadeja or others soon, if ever. With eight 10-fors and 37 five-fors, he was genuinely prolific.
As many as 115 of his wickets came against Australia and 114 more against England. He took 50-plus Test wickets against each of New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies. The game has lost another great in the wake of his exit.
1. Anil Kumble
The cricketing career of a leg-spinner can be an erratic one, but Kumble possessed such control and such poise that he collected a prolific 619 wickets in 132 Tests. This includes eight 10-fors and 35 five-fors. He is India’s highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Overall, Kumble’s 619 Test wickets are fourth only to Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Australia’s Shane Warne (708) and England’s James Anderson (704).
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