India's 3 most successful bowling pairs in Tests ft. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja
In a format like Test cricket, bowlers attacking in pairs is something that has a massive impact on the game. Very rarely will a bowler be able to succeed without assistance from the other end, when it comes to reducing the scoring rate as well as providing breakthroughs.
Over the years, we've seen plenty of bowling combinations go rampant. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad scalped an incredible 1039 wickets over 138 matches together. Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath are the only other pair in four digits, with 1001 to their name in just 104 matches.
India might never have had a bowling pair as prolific, but they have seen plenty of names work well in tandem. And the ongoing first Test against England saw one of the hosts' most decorated partnerships accomplish an incredible new feat.
Here are India's three most successful bowling pairs in Test cricket.
#3 Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan - 474 wickets in 59 matches
Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan's careers with the Indian team were decorated, with the duo combining to win the 2011 World Cup at home. In Tests as well, they wreaked havoc together.
In 59 matches, Harbhajan and Zaheer combined for 474 wickets. The off-spinner was responsible for 268 of those, while the left-arm pacer chipped in with an impressive 206.
Harbhajan and Zaheer, as a pair, averaged 8.03 wickets per match, showing their incredible value to the team. The latter often carried the Indian pace attack, while the former was deadly at home and played a big role in various memorable victories.
#2 Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh - 501 wickets in 54 matches
The first of two spin pairings makes an entry on this list, and this one features Harbhajan Singh too. It's no surprise who his partner is, with India's leading wicket-taker in Tests, Anil Kumble, featuring heavily in most of the country's bowling records.
In 54 matches together, Kumble and Harbhajan scalped 501 wickets at 9.28 scalps per Test. The tall leg-spinner led the way with 281 wickets, while his younger partner was a capable understudy who registered 220 victims.
Kumble and Harbhajan were all set to be India's most notable spin partnership in Test history, up until a certain duo came around...
#1 Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin - 504* in 50 matches
At the time of writing, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have combined to pick up four of the five England wickets to have fallen on Day 1 of the first Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
In doing so, Jadeja and Ashwin have managed to achieve what no Indian bowling pair have before, becoming the most prolific combination in the history of the format. In 50 matches together, they have registered an incredible 504 scalps (and counting) to establish themselves at the top of the rankings.
Ashwin has been the more dominant partner with 276 wickets, while Jadeja has contributed 228. Incredibly, to go with their 10+ wickets per match, they have contributed plenty of runs with the bat as well, playing a massive part in India's stellar home run over the last decade.
With plenty of cricket to come in the series, Ashwin and Jadeja should be able to strengthen their position even more as India's most successful bowling pair in the history of the Test format.