Former leg-spinner Anil Kumble holds the record for bagging the most wickets for India in Tests.

The Karnataka-born cricketer picked 619 wickets in 132 Test matches that included 35 five-wicket hauls and eight 10-wicket hauls. Kumble is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history.

In 1999, he etched his name into history books as he became just the second bowler to claim 10 wickets in an innings in a Test after England’s Jim Laker.

Since making his Test debut against England in 1990, Kumble played a vital role in helping India win Test matches against various opponents both at home and abroad. He formed a lethal partnership with India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, scalping a combined 501 wickets in 54 matches, the most by any spin bowling pair.

Kumble played his last Test match against Australia at Feroz Shah Kotla in 2008.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently overtook former captain Kapil Dev to climb second in the list for most wickets for India in Tests. The legendary bowler became the second Indian cricketer to cross the 450-wicket mark in Tests with Alex Carey's dismissal during the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023.

Former India captain Kapil Dev is third on the list of most wickets for India in Tests. The right-arm fast bowler picked 434 wickets in 131 matches at an average of 29.64.

India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and seamer Ishant Sharma complete the top five list of most wickets for India in Tests.

While Harbhajan Singh has claimed 417 wickets in 103 matches. seamer Ishant Sharma has scalped 311 wickets in 105 matches.

Most wickets for India in Tests

Player Matches Wickets
Anil Kumble 132 619
Ravichandran Ashwin 91 467
Kapil Dev 131 434
Harbhajan Singh 103 417
Ishant Sharma 105 311
Zaheer Khan 92 311
Bishan Bedi 67 266
Ravindra Jadeja 63 263
Bhagwath Chandrasekhar 58 242
Javagal Srinath 67 236

 

Featured photo: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP