There is no denying the fact that India is playing their best test Cricket at the moment. We have never seen a team this fearless, not only on home grounds but also on overseas tours. We have already thrashed Australia twice in consecutive tours and led England 2-1 in the unfinished series. So here we are to find the Top 5 Best Test Bowlers of all time.
India’s cricket used to revolve and depend on our batsmen for many years. But tables have turned now. The South Asian country has been preparing some great bowling talent over the last few years, and we have already started seeing results from it. We have seen many greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin, Dravid, Sehwag, Ganguly, Yuvraj, Kohli, and many others winning matches. We are far ahead, waiting to get those 20 wickets in a test, as Indian test bowlers are on a new level at the moment.
The Indian test skipper Virat Kohli put it in the best way, “A dream combination for any captain.” That’s what you say when your bowlers are capable of taking wickets on any kind of pitch and any kind of opposition. Currently, our test bowling lineup is not only lethal but also economical at the same time. It allows our batsmen to understand the unusual conditions and puts up runs on the board. Our fast bowlers, especially Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Shami, are hungry, fast, improve their fitness, provide consistent results, and most importantly, are adaptable to the new conditions.
Even if we talk about spinners, then Ashwin, Jadeja, and Axar are exceptionally well and giving results all the time. It’s safe to say, India has the best test bowling attack in the world at the moment.
We know it does germinate a curiosity in your mind; who are the top Indian test bowlers of all time? We have had so many top bowlers over the years that gave us results no matter how the rest of the team was performing. We all know that test cricket is the toughest form of the game. This five-day format requires hard work, diligence, patience, and most importantly, character. If we are to conclude the list of top 5 test Indian bowlers, we need to look for players who have transformed their cricket, especially wicket-taking abilities, over time. Let us straight away look at the list of Top 5 Best Test Bowlers because we know you want to know the names ASAP.
5. Harbhajan Singh
We have added this name in the 5th place because of his ability to take wickets in any condition. In Mid and late 2000, Harbhajan and Kumble together used to own the opposition, especially in India. Harbhajan Singh has played 103 tests for India and taken 417 wickets while playing as the full-time off-spinner.
He even had two hundred and 2225 runs in test cricket. Harbhajan was the pure matchwinner from the initial stages of his career. He stormed into the Indian test team by taking 32 wickets from three tests, including a hat trick which was also the first by an Indian.
4. Bishan Singh Bedi
Bishan Singh Bedi is unarguably one of the best spinners of all time. Mostly known for his tight spells and talented ability to flight the ball, Bedi must be on the list of top 5 Indian test bowlers of all time. He started taking wickets on overseas tours from the early stages as he loved to bowl to Australia and New Zealand.
Bishan played 67 tests and took 266 wickets at an average of 28,71. With a total of 14 five-wicket hauls, Bedi’s overall away record was all tremendous as he took 129 wickets in just 37 matches.
3. Zaheer Khan
Every 90s kid had almost mimicked Zaheer Khan’s bowling action at least once. I don’t know about you, but surely I did. Zaheer Khan is one of the best bowlers that India has ever produced. From being fast and fierce in the early stages to the ingenious and diligent bowler in his later stages, Zaheer Khan is one of the greatest left-hand bowlers.
Zaheer Khan played 53 overseas tests in which he took 207 wickets, mostly coming from England and New Zealand, two of the top cricket-playing nations. Overall, Zaheer played 92 test matches for India in which he took 311 wickets in total with eleven five wickets haul at an average of 32.95.
2. Kapil Dev
As we are talking about India’s all-time test bowlers, not adding Kapil Dev’s name is one of the stupidest things we can ever do. But we are not stupid, so we have Kapil Dev in the second position on the list. India’s all-time great and 1983 Cricket world cup winning captain is one of the special players who donned India’s jersey.
Kapil Dev, also known as” The bowler of all conditions”, played 131 Tests for India in which he took enormous 434 wickets against all-time great players from countries like Australia, West Indies, and England. Although India didn’t win many test matches during his tenure with the team, Kapil always gave his best. His average in 24 matches won by the team was a stunning 18.30.
1. Anil Kumble
It was not hard to choose India’s greatest test bowler of all time. Do you know why? Because Anil Kumble has taken 619 test wickets in his career. The leg spinner from Karnataka, who was also the India team head coach for some time, is undoubtedly the best test bowler we had. Who can forget his ten wickets in one innings that too against Pakistan in 1999? Anil was also known for his match-winning ability.
The medium-pacer turned spin bowler played 132 test matches for India, out of which the team won 43, with him claiming 288 wickets in those 43 matches. Often regarded as “Jumbo” from our media houses was an unorthodox spinner who didn’t turn the ball much and was perhaps India’s greatest ever matchwinner. We guess all these statements are enough why we had Anil Kumble as the best test Indian bowler of all time.
Endnotes
We know you may be surprised with the list of Top 5 Best Test Bowlers, but all these players were matchwinners of their time. India has many great bowlers playing for their country, and we are sure they will replace the players currently residing on this list. We will be back with the updated list, but until next time, Goodbye!