Stats: Most wickets by an Indian in Test matches

Kumble leads the charts

Most wickets by an Indian in Test Cricket is 619 by the legendary Anil Kumble. As we all know, he is also the leading wicket taker in the 50 over format for India. Now, we will take a look at the top 5 wicket takers for India in Tests.

Player	Matches	Wickets	Average	No. of 5 wicket hauls
Anil Kumble	132	619	29.65	35
Kapil Dev	131	434	29.64	23
Harbhajan Singh	101	413	32.37	25
Zaheer Khan	92	311	32.94	11
Bishan Singh Bedi	67	266	28.71	14

1. Anil Kumble (619 wickets)

With 953 wickets, 619 of them in the Test arena, Kumble is undoubtedly India’s greatest bowler. The man who was criticized all the time for not turning the ball enough proved his critics wrong with his guile. His googlies were deadly and his biggest asset was getting wickets from unhelpful conditions. His best bowling figures came in the Delhi Test against Pakistan where he picked up all the 10 wickets.

2. Kapil Dev (434 wickets)

At one point of time, Kapil was the leading wicket taker in the Test format. He was a natural away swinger and picked up 434 wickets by the time he retired. No one could argue whenever it was mentioned that he is till date the best pacer the country has ever produced. He has 23 five wicket hauls to his name.

3. Harbhajan Singh (413 wickets)

With 413 wickets, the Turbanator is at number 3 on the list. Having picked up a five wicket haul 25 times, his Test career is hanging in the balance right now because of poor form. He will always be remembered for his magical performance in the epic 2001 series against Australia where he picked up 32 wickets in the 3 match series.

4. Zaheer Khan (311 wickets)

India’s biggest fast bowling hope over the last decade, Zaheer was literally a master with the ball. An expert in subcontinental conditions, reverse swing was his forte. With 311 wickets, he stands fourth on the all time list. It will be difficult for him to reach 400 as time is not on his side.

5. Bishan Singh Bedi (266 wickets)

He is the best left arm spinner India has ever produced, and was part of the famous spin quartet which bamboozled opposition. With an impressive average of 28.71, Bedi’s 266 wickets puts him on number 5 in the list.

*Stats as on 22 May, 2014