Top 5 Indian bowlers with the most wickets against Australia in Tests

The Indian Premier League (IPL) came to an end on November 10th, with the Mumbai Indians winning the coveted tournament for a record fifth time and cementing their legacy as the greatest IPL side ever. Now, the attention of the Indian cricket fans will move to the high-profile clash between India and Australia, that gets underway on November 27th.

The last time the Indian side visited Australian shores, they scripted history by winning a Test series in the kangaroos’ backyard for the first time ever. Now, the Australians will be looking to take revenge on the Virat Kohli-led side.

The Aussies will be bolstered by the return of two of their batting mainstays, Steve Smith and David Warner, who both were absent the last time India and Australia faced off against each other in the whites.

In the article, let us have a look at five Indian bowlers with the most wickets against Australia in Tests:

5. Zaheer Khan

He had the capability to make the new ball move prodigiously. He could also make the ball reverse once the cherry got old. Zaheer Khan is the only Indian left-arm pacer to have scalped more than 300 wickets in Test cricket. In a career that spanned almost a decade and a half, Zaheer was the lynchpin of the Indian bowling attack.

And against Australia, Zaheer featured in 19 matches and picked up 61 wickets at an average of 35.59. The left-arm pace bowling legend also scalped 3 five-wicket hauls against the Aussies. Zaheer’s best bowling performance against Australia came in the year 2008 at Bangalore.

Zaheer ripped through the Australian top order and picked up the wickets of Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke. He also cleaned up Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson to finish with figures of 5/91 as the match ended in a draw.

Zaheer retired from the game in the year 2014 against New Zealand at Wellington. In his final bowling spell, Zaheer picked up 5/170, to ride into the sunset with his head held high.

4. Ravichandran Ashwin

He is the only bowler in the list who is still playing international cricket, and by the time he retires from the game, might even occupy the top spot. Ravichandran Ashwin has already taken 77 wickets against Australia in Test cricket. Ashwin has featured in 15 matches against the Aussies and has also taken 5 five-wicket hauls.

Ashwin’s best performance against Australia came in the year 2013 at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. The star off-spinner flummoxed the visitors as he picked up 7/103 to help India restrict Australia to a total of 380 in the first innings.

His scintillating spell helped his side to crush the Australians by 8 wickets. And needless to say, Ashwin will play a key role in the upcoming series against the kangaroos as well.

3. Kapil Dev

His run-up was smooth. His leap was perfect. His side-on action made for ethereal viewing. Without an iota of doubt, Kapil Dev is the greatest all-rounder produced by India in Test cricket. The iconic cricketer featured in 131 Tests for his country and picked up a colossal 434 wickets in the whites.

Kapil Dev played 20 Tests against Australia and picked up 79 wickets at an average of 25.35. The all-rounder also picked up 7 five-wicket hauls against the kangaroos. Dev’s best performance against the Aussies came in the year 1985 when he picked up 8/106 at Adelaide.

His scintillating spell helped India to restrict their opponents to a score of 381 in the first innings. The only two wickets that Dev didn’t pick in that innings were that of Geoff Marsh and David Hookes.

Kapil Dev’s illustrious 16-year Test career came to a close in the year 1994 against New Zealand. The Indian legend retired as the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. And till date, no Indian pacer has breached the 400-wicket mark.

2. Harbhajan Singh

When Harbhajan Singh was at his best, he was virtually unplayable. The Indian off-spinner played 103 Tests for India and picked up 417 wickets for his side. In a career that lasted 17 years, ‘Bhajji’ was a vital cog in the Indian bowling attack, especially at home.

Harbhajan picked up a whopping 95 wickets in the 18 Tests that he played against the Aussies. The off-spinner also picked up 7 five-wicket hauls, at an average of 29.95. His best bowling performance against Australia came in the year 2001, at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.

In the second innings, Harbhajan took 8/84 to allow India to restrict the Aussies to a total of just 264 in the second innings. He had already picked up 7 wickets in the first innings and finished the match with a haul of 15 wickets.

Harbhajan’s riveting performance with the ball allowed India to beat Australia by 2 wickets. The off-spinner played his last Test for India in the year 2015.

1. Anil Kumble

He is the only Indian bowler to have taken over 600 wickets in Test cricket. He is the only Indian bowler to have taken all 10 wickets in a Test inning. Anil Kumble was a man whose relentless accuracy created doubts in the mind of the batsmen. Kumble played 132 Tests for India and picked up 619 wickets, including 35 five-wicket hauls and 8 ten-wicket hauls in his distinguished career.

And against Australia, Kumble is the only Indian bowler to have taken more than 100 Test wickets. The legendary spinner played 20 Tests against the kangaroos and picked up 111 wickets at an average of 30.32. Kumble also picked up 10 five-wicket hauls against Australia in the whites.

Kumble’s stand out spell against the Australians came in the year 2004 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. After Sachin Tendulkar’s double hundred had allowed India to post a whopping total of 705/7 on the board, Kumble rattled the hosts with some inspired bowling to finish with outstanding figures of 8/141 in the first innings.

Kumble’s last Test for India was in the year 2008 against Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Note: All the stats have been taken from Cricinfo and Howstat cricket