India's 5 highest wicket-takers in Tests at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai ft. Harbhajan Singh
India will take on New Zealand in the third Test of the bilateral series being played between the two teams at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, November 1. This is a dead rubber as the Kiwis have already won the series 2-0.
India, however, will want to salvage some pride by coming back strongly into this game and retaining their spot at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle standings. They will have to play spin well and fight back against their visitors.
India will also have to bowl well on the Wankhede pitch, which usually assists spinners quite a bit. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin will have to take up the mantle to guide their side in this game.
In this listicle, we take a look at India's five highest wicket-takers at the Wankhede:
#5 Karsan Ghavri - 23 wickets
Former India all-rounder Karsan Ghavri comes fifth in this list thanks to the 23 wickets he picked up at the Wankhede Stadium during his storied career. The left-arm medium pacer, who was known as a game-changer during his days wearing the whites for India, played in 39 Tests in total from 1975 to 1981.
Ghavri was a more than handy utility all-rounder who averaged 21 with the bat and helped his team out during times of crisis. With the ball, he picked up 109 wickets at a niggardly economy rate of 3.11. Along with 39 Tests, Ghavri also played in 19 ODIs in his career. He represented Saurashtra and Bombay in domestic cricket.
#4 Harbhajan Singh - 24 wickets
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was known for pioneering the craft across the world with his stellar spells along with Muttiah Muralitharan, comes fourth in this list with 24 scalps in Tests at the Wankhede Stadium.
The Jalandhar-born spinner played in 103 Tests for India and picked up 417 wickets in them. At the moment, he is the fourth-highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket, and looks set to stay that way for some time.
Harbhajan entered into folklore after spinning India to victory in the famous Kolkata Test of 2001 in which India beat Australia after following on in the second innings. Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Harbhajan were India's heroes here.
#3 Kapil Dev - 28 wickets
Former India captain Kapil Dev took 28 wickets in Test cricket at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and hence comes third on this list. Dev was one of the finest fast bowlers India has produced and is the third-highest wicket-taker for the country with a mindboggling 434 scalps.
Dev's endurance as a seamer was often spoken about at great length in cricket circles, but his greatest achievement was in leading the country to its first ODI World Cup title in 1983. Dev starred in the final most famously by running sideways to take a brilliant high catch of Sir Vivian Richards.
#2 Anil Kumble - 38 wickets
Former India captain Anil Kumble, who works as a television commentator these days, comes second on this list thanks to the 38 wickets he picked up at the Wankhede Stadium during his stellar career.
Kumble was one of the finest leg-spinners the world has ever seen, and has a jaw-dropping 619 wickets to his name. He is also the leading wicket-taker for India in both Tests and ODIs. He has 334 scalps to his name in the latter.
The Karnataka cricketer was one of the finest players the world has seen, and he added to the mystery of his leg-breaks with the consistent bounce he generated owing to his height and more-than-normal pace.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin - 38 wickets
Current India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin leads this list with 38 wickets to his name. Although both Kumble and he have the same number of wickets, Ashwin picked his up in five matches while Kumble did it in seven. Ashwin also has three five-wicket hauls at this venue, which is quite staggering.
The Tamil Nadu off-spinner is second in the list for most wickets for India in this format with 533 scalps, and will be keen on dislodging Kumble from the top spot soon. Ashwin is also a more than handy batter, having scored 3460 runs in his 104 Tests with six centuries and 14 half-centuries.