Top 3 Indian bowlers with the most overseas wickets in a single calendar year
When you talk about Indian cricket, you talk about the precocious talent of their batters and their wristy stroke-play that leaves the fans as well as pundits in awe. You also talk about their spinners who spin a web around the opposition batsmen and bamboozle them with a plethora of tricks.
But seldom do we talk about India's pace unit as a whole - at least not in the same breath with the best pace attacks of the world. This has been the Achilles' heel of most Indian teams in the past. The inability of their fast bowlers to perform consistently overseas has constantly hampered their chances of closing out Test wins despite being in positions of strength for considerable periods of time.
In the past few years though, the change in attitude towards fast bowling and meticulous attention towards fitness has seen the strength of India's fast bowling attack rise steadily.
The year 2018 saw the stock of the country's pace attack rise to the hilt as the Indian troika of Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma took over the lead role from their famed batting group to ensnare 136 wickets between them.
In this article, we will have a look at three Indian bowlers who have taken the highest number of wickets overseas in a calendar year:
#3 Anil Kumble [41, 2006]
Perhaps the greatest match-winner India has ever seen, Anil Kumble was at the peak of his powers in 2006. In nine overseas Tests across Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa, 'Jumbo' claimed 41 wickets.
While he did not have a particularly good time bowling on flat decks in Pakistan [9 wickets at 69.88], Kumble played a pivotal role in India winning their first Test series in the West Indies since 1971 and also their maiden Test win in South Africa at Johannesburg.
In four Tests in the Caribbean, Kumble claimed 23 wickets at 28.60. He backed that up with 11 scalps across two Tests in the rainbow nation.