Top 5 Indian wicket-takers in Test Matches against England

Test Matches are the beacon of the sport as the abilities and talents of a player are tested to the maximum. India and England have played some classic matches over the years in the longest format of the game. 

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Bowlers in particular have created memorable moments during the intense rivalry the two teams enjoy. The likes of Zaheer Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kapil Dev, Jasprit Bumrah, and countless others have done well with the ball. 

In this article, we take a closer look at the top 5 Indian wicket-takers for India against England in Test Cricket. 

5- Kapil Dev – 85 wickets from 48 Innings

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India’s first-ever pace bowler with the ability to bowl fast with swing and pacer. Kapil Dev for long was the leading pacer in Test cricket. Out of his 434 Test wickets, 85 has come against England. This makes him one of the leading Indian wicket-takers in Test matches against England. Kapil Dev has picked fifers on four occasions with a best of 6/91 during the 1982 Kolkata Test. 

4- Bishan Singh Bedi – 85 wickets from 36 innings 

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The former left-arm spin great was heralded as one of the pioneers of spin bowling from India. Bishan Singh Bedi along with E. Prasanna, B Chandrasekhar, and S. Venkataraghavan formed a lethal quartet in the 1970s. Bishan Singh Bedi is 4th on the list when we speak about the leading Indian wicket-takers in Test matches vs England. His best of 6/71 was one of the four fifers against England which came in 1977 in Chennai. 

3- Anil Kumble – 92 wickets from 36 innings 

India’s former skipper Anil Kumble is the leading wicket-taker in Test matches for India with 619 scalps. The former spinner also has picked 92 wickets versus England during his legendary career. His best moment came during the 2001 Ahmedabad Test where he picked 7/115 and got three more wickets in the second innings. That was the only time Anil Kumble picked 10 wickets in a game versus England in Test cricket. 

2- B. Chandrasekhar – 95 wickets from 38 innings 

Before the entry of Anil Kumble, there was the great leg-spinner from India Bhagwat Chandrasekhar. The legendary bowler is second on the list for the leading Indian wicket-takers in Test matches versus England. With 95 wickets from 38 innings, Chandra as they call him loved the English batting unit. His career best of 8/79 came against the same opponents during the 1972 Test in New Delhi. Chandrasekhar has recorded an astonishing 8 fifers in Test cricket against the English. 

1- Ravichandran Ashwin – 100 wickets* from 43 innings 

The modern-day genius Ravichandran Ashwin became the first and only Indian bowler to complete 100 Test wickets versus England. The landmark was achieved when he had the wicket of Jonny Bairstow during the 4th test in Ranchi. This makes the 37-year-old the leading wicket-taker for India in Test matches versus England. Ashwin has picked 114 wickets versus Australia, making England the only other side he has reached the figure mark.