West Indies vs India 2016: 5 best bowling performances by Indians in the West Indies

Indian cricket has been a honing ground for world-beating batsmen and match-winning spinners. Traditionally, it has been the spinners who have done wonders for the team, especially in home conditions. However, somewhere in between the seam bowlers too have put their hands up and have dished out noteworthy performances.

Regarded as a cricketing superpower, India has generally under performed in overseas tours barring the series win in Sri Lanka, the record in the recent past is a shambolic one

West Indies were the undisputed leaders of cricket for a long period of time. The fact that the Windies did not lose a Test series from 1980 to 1995 is a testament to their dominance. They had a battery of fast bowlers who were capable of sending tremors down the opposition line-up.

India’s first official tour of West Indies was in the year 1952. Despite the big names the Windies had, India fared reasonably well in the series. Subhash Gupte was the talking point of the series as he bagged 27 wickets.

India lost only a single match in the series and drew the other the remaining 4.

In the preceding tours, India had their ups and downs but the bowlers have stood up and bailed the team out of trouble. 

Here in this list, we take a look at the top 5 bowling performances by the Indians on the Caribbean shores.

#5 Harbhajan Singh (5/13 at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica)

Harbhajan sliced through the batting Windies batting line-up

Nicknamed ‘The Turbanator’ Harbhajan Singh is famously remembered for his heroics in the home series against Australia in the year 2001. It was a historic Test series which saw India winning a match after following on. Harbhajan Singh became the 1st Indian in this series to pick up a Test hat-trick.

ndia played 4 Tests in their tour of West Indies in 2006. The first 3 matches ended in a draw and the pressure rose for the curators to prepare a sporting wicket which would produce results.

It was a bowling paradise and India were knocked over for 200 in their 1st innings. In reply, Harbhajan Singh was the wrecker-in-chief as he picked up 5 wickets for 13 runs. India skittled out the Windies for 103 in their 1st essay.

He pitched the ball in right areas and allowed the pitch to take over. He generated vicious turn and bounce from the pitch and few of his deliveries were unplayable. He picked up Daren Ganga, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin and Pedro Colins. India went on to win the match by 49 runs. 

A sweet victory indeed as it came after 35 long years in the West Indies.