Stats: A new high for the Indian pace attack in the Test series against England

India bowlers kept bettering their reputation in the Test series against England by troubling the home team batsmen throughout and despite being on the losing side. As there was little on offer for the spinners, the Indian pacers took the task of dismissing England’s top order cheaply and bundled out the opposition six times in the first four Test matches. Their numbers would have reflected even better had they managed to restrict the lower-order batsmen to low scores as well.

However, they were good enough to record the best ever series performance by an Indian pace attack. The Indian fast bowlers have collectively bagged 59 wickets in the ongoing Test series with the wicket of Adil Rashid on the 2nd day morning of the 5th Test match at The Oval. The senior pro, Ishant Sharma leads the wickets chart with 18 wickets to his name while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami claimed 14 wickets apiece.

Hardik Pandya, who played first four Test matches also took 10 wickets while Umesh Yadav had three in the first Test match he featured in. This is also the first series where four Indian pacers have taken ten and more wickets in Test cricket. The 59 wickets they’ve claimed are the most in a Test series surpassing the tally of 58 wickets in the home Test series against Pakistan in the 1979/80 season. However, that series was a 6-match Test series.

During the 1991/92 tour of Australia, Indian pacers shared 57 wickets among themselves during the 5-match Test series. Earlier this year, Indian pacers registered one of the best ever performances when they took 50 wickets during the tour of South Africa in only three matches. The Indian pacers did a decent job when they last tour England though they lost the series 3-1. The pacers took as many as 45 wickets during the 5-match Test series on that tour.

Most wickets by pace bowlers for India in a Test series:

(Stats as on September 8, 2018)

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