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 Devi to climb second in the list for most wickets for India in Tests. The legendary bowler now has 435 Test wickets to his name.
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 Ashwin has bagged 427 wickets for India in 81 Test matches, Harbhajan has claimed 417 wickets in 103 matches. On the other hand, Ishant has scalped 311 wickets in 105 matches.
Interestingly, Ashwin has the best bowling strike rate among all Indian Test bowlers, picking a wicket every 52.1 balls.
Most wickets for India in Tests
| Player | Matches | Wickets | BBI | Average | SR | 5 | 10 |
| Anil Kumble | 132 | 619 | 10/74 | 29.65 | 65.9 | 35 | 8 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 85 | 436 | 7/59 | 24.26 | 52.5 | 30 | 7 |
| Kapil Dev | 131 | 434 | 9/83 | 29.64 | 63.9 | 23 | 2 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 103 | 417 | 8/84 | 32.46 | 68.5 | 25 | 5 |
| Ishant Sharma | 105 | 311 | 7/74 | 32.40 | 61.6 | 11 | 1 |
| Zaheer Khan | 92 | 311 | 7/87 | 32.94 | 60.4 | 11 | 1 |
| Bishan Bedi | 67 | 266 | 7/98 | 28.71 | 80.3 | 14 | 1 |
| Bhagwath Chandrasekhar | 58 | 242 | 8/79 | 29.74 | 65.9 | 16 | 2 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 58 | 241 | 7/48 | 24.28 | 60.1 | 10 | 1 |
| Javagal Srinath | 67 | 236 | 8/86 | 30.49 | 64 | 10 | 1 |
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Featured photo: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP
