5 occasions when Indian spinners took 19 or more wickets in a Test
India recorded a famous victory over South Africa in the 1st Test of the Gandhi-Mandela Series and most of the credit for it can be attributed to their spinners. The Indian spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra managed to claim 19 out of the 20 wickets that fell for South Africa in the match.However, this is not the first time that a combination of Indian spinners has got 19 wickets or more in a Test. There have been 8 occasions prior to this one when India’s spin bowlers have ruled the roost.Let’s take a look at 5 of the best:
#1 India vs England, 1973, Chennai
In the golden era of Indian spin bowling, the legendary trio of Bedi, Prasanna and Chandrasekhar demolished many a batting line-up with their ability to turn the ball viciously, particularly on home soil. The 1973 India-England Test series, in which India played hosts, was all square at 1-1 and a victory in the 3rd Test was imperative for both teams. After chosing to bat first, the Englishmen were skittled out for 242 thanks to Chandrasekhar’s 6 wicket haul and 2 wickets each for Bedi and Prasanna.
India managed to post 316 in their 1st innings and rode on yet another wipeout by the Indian spinners with Bedi and Prasanna claiming 4 victims apiece and Chandrasekhar and part-time spinner Salim Durrani getting 1 each. Left with just 86 to chase courtesy a stellar bowling performance by their tweakers, the Indian team rode to victory by 4 wickets.