IND v AUS 2020: 3 India bowlers with most Test wickets vs Australia
India and Australia will fight it out for the Border-Gavaskar trophy, with the first Test scheduled to get underway this week. Contests between these two teams are often fiery affairs.
We have seen some great battles between bat and ball in Test matches between the two dominant cricketing nations.
India and Australia have also produced some of the greatest bowlers to ever grace this sport over the years. Indian bowlers in particular, have enjoyed a lot of success against Australia over the years.
Here we take a look at three of India's leading wicket takers in Test matches against Australia.
Anil Kumble - 111 wickets
No prizes for guessing who takes the top spot. Indian spin legend Anil Kumble took a whopping 111 wickets in just 20 matches against Australia. The leg-spinner was a thorn in Australia's tail almost every time the two sides met.
Kumble delivered several match-winning performances for India against Australia. No matter the conditions, Kumble was always a player the Aussies struggled against. And it is no surprise that almost 18% of his 619 Test wickets came against the team from Down Under.
Kumble took ten five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls against Australia, with a best of 8/141, which came at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the 2003/04 Border-Gavaskar trophy.
Harbhajan Singh - 95 wickets
Just behind Kumble is Harbhajan Singh, who took 95 scalps in 18 matches against Australia. The Turbanator was often at his ruthless best against the Australians, helping India become a dominant force in Test cricket.
Harbhajan enjoyed his breakthrough during the 2001 series against Australia, and never looked back. The off-spinner took seven five-wicket hauls, with a best of 8/84, which came in the third Test of the 2001 series.
He also has three ten-wicket hauls against Australia. No player has more in the history of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Harbhajan Singh was an instrumental figure in all the success India had against Australia. They sure could use someone like him in their Test team going into this series.
Kapil Dev - 79 wickets
Indian pacers haven't always been successful against Australia. But the same cannot be said of Kapil Dev, who took 79 wickets against the Aussies - more than any fast-bowler in the history of the series.
The former India captain played 20 Test matches against Australia, and his wickets came at an average of just 25.35. Like Harbhajan, Kapil Dev also took seven five-wicket hauls.
His best of 8/106 came in the drawn Adelaide Test match as part of India's 1985/86 tour to Australia. Kapil Dev also averaged a handy 26.42 with the bat against the Aussies, scoring one hundred and three fifties.