Most successful bowlers in India-England Test matches

With the 2014 Investec Test series between India and England entering it’s Fourth Test, here is a list of the most successful bowlers in India-England Test matches (by wickets).

5. James Anderson (England)

James Anderson played his first test match against India in the third Test of the 2006 Engand tour to India. England, who were trailing the series 0-1 before the game, managed to draw level in the series after bowling India out for a paltry total of 100 in the fourth innings. Anderson picked up the crucial wickets of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in the first innings, and then dismissed Virender Sehwag for a duck in the second innings, ending up with six wickets in the match. Anderson also affected a crucial run-out in the first innings to dismiss wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 64.

In the summer of 2007, Rahul Dravid’s India team toured England for three Test matches and seven One Day Internationals. Anderson was name England’s Man of the Series for his 13 wickets from three Tests. He also became the first English bowler to dismiss Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in the same innings of a Test match during the first Test at Lords’.

In all, Anderson’s consistent bowling efforts against India reflect in his statistics; he has 76 wickets from 18 Test matches between 2006-2014. Anderson also has the best strike rate (56.0) among bowlers who feature in the most successful bowlers list of India-England Tests. His best performance of 5-42 in an innings came in the drawn Lords’ Test Match of India’s 2007 tour of England.

4. Kapil Dev (India)

Between 1979 and 1993, Kapil Dev picked up 85 wickets against England in Test cricket. Dev picked up the first of his 23 career five-wicket hauls during India’s 1979 tour of England at Birmingham. It was the first of 27 Test matches Dev played against England in his Test career. India went on to lose the Test by an innings, and were unable to draw level in the remaining three matches of the series.

Kapil Dev’s best bowling effort in an innings against England came during the January 1982 home series Test at the Eden Gardens in Calcutta. Dev picked up 6 wickets in the first innings of the Test match and restricted England to a total of 248, ending up with figures of 6-91.

3. Bishen Singh Bedi (India)

One of India’s famed quartet of spinners of the 1970s, left arm spinner Bishen Singh Bedi picked up 85 wickets against England but in 5 fewer Test matches than Kapil Dev. Bedi’s economy rate of 2.12 runs/over ranks highest in the list of the most successful bowlers in India-England test matches. Bedi played 22 Test matches against England between 1967 and 1979. He picked up four 5-wicket hauls with an innings best effort of 6-71.

Bedi also played the last of his 67 career Test matches against England at the Oval in 1979. He picked up 3 wickets in the match.

2. Anil Kumble (India)

Anil Kumble played in 19 Tests against England between 1990 and 2007. Kumble made his Test match debut against England in August 1990 at Manchester. He picked up the key wicket of Allan Lamb for 38 to bag his first Test match victim, and then picked up a further two wickets to finish the innings with figures of 3-105.

In all, Kumble bagged 92 wickets from 19 Test matches against England. In the last of those 19 Tests, Kumble inched his way to his maiden and only ever Test match century at the Kennington Oval in London, finishing on 110*, and helped India draw the Test match and win the series 1-0.

1. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar (India)

Bhagwat Chandrasekhar tops the list for most successful bowlers in India-England Test matches. In 23 Tests between 1964 and 1979, Chandrasekhar picked up 95 wickets at an impressive average of 27.27. His innings’ best bowling effort of 8-79, which is also his career best effort, came against England at the Feroz Shah Kotla in 1972-73.

Chandrasekhar is best remembered however for his match-winning fourth innings bowling performance at the Oval in 1971, when he helped India to a famous victory abroad by picking up 6-38.