India's 5 highest wicket-takers against Australia in Tests

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy got underway in Nagpur this morning, and it was Team India who ended the first day in complete control.

The hosts asserted their dominance on Day 1, bundling Australia out for 177 as Ravindra Jadeja led the way with a five-wicket haul. Later, Rohit Sharma ended the day unbeaten on a half-century with the hosts at 77-1, trailing by 100 runs.

The Player of the Series from the last time Australia came to Indian shores, Jadeja ran riot to break the crucial partnership between Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith as he dismissed both batters in quick succession to trigger a collapse.

The Saurashtra all-rounder's spell of 5/47 not only gave the hosts some control but also helped him move up the list of top wicket-takers against the Aussies in Tests.

On that note, let's take a look at five of India's highest wicket-takers against Australia in Test matches.

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#1 Anil Kumble

First Test - India v Australia: Day 1, 2004.

The legendary leg-spinner relished playing against the Kangaroos, taking 111 wickets in 30 matches. His best figures of 8/141 came at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2004 and stand as the second-best figures for an Indian bowler against Australia.

He has taken 10 five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls against the same opposition. With 619 wickets in his Test career, Anil Kumble is definitely one of the best, if not the best, Indian bowlers to grace the game.

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#2 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh took 32 wickets v Australia in 2001.

Harbhajan Singh always brought his A-game when he played against Australia, regardless of the occasion. He has 95 wickets against them in Test matches and famously ran riot against them in the three-match Test series in 2001, when he took 32 wickets.

His best figures of 8/84 also came in the same series, where he ended up with 15 wickets to his name in the match. The off-spinner has 417 wickets in 103 Tests, including 7 five-wicket hauls and three 10-wicket hauls against Australia.

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#3 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin ran riot in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2013, taking 29 wickets in that series. In 18 matches against the opposition, he has taken 89 wickets for India and is once again expected to play a key part in the upcoming series.

Ashwin already has five five-wicket hauls and a 10-wicket haul in BGTs and will be eyeing becoming only the second bowler from either side to reach the three-figure mark. With 449 wickets in 88 Test matches, he will be looking to add to that tally soon.

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#4 Kapil Dev

Long before the modern-day greats came along, former Indian captain Kapil Dev led the wicket-taking charts against Australia. Playing 20 matches between 1979 and 1992, the all-rounder took 79 wickets at an average of 25.35. He had five five-wicket hauls to his name in that period as well.

He recorded his best figures of 8/106 in the first Test of the series in 1985. The three-match series ended in a stalemate, with Kapil Dev winning the Player of the Series award. He scored 135 runs and took 12 wickets in the series.

The legendary all-rounder also scored 687 runs in 20 matches against the Kangaroos, including his highest score of 119, which was his only century against the opposition.

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#5 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja was the Player of the Series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2017. The all-rounder was at his lethal best throughout, scoring 125 runs and taking 25 wickets in the series to torment and dismantle Australia.

After his five-wicket haul in Nagpur in the first innings of the first Test of the ongoing series, he now has 68 wickets against them in 13 matches. With an average of 18.16, he has four five-wicket hauls to his tally and will be looking to add to it in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.