5 Indian bowlers with most Test wickets against England

The England versus India Test battle is all set to begin when both the teams take the field on August 1 for the 1st of the 5 match Test series. The series promises to be an evenly contested one as both the teams have their own set of positives as well as some unanswered questions which might come to bother them as the series progresses. With India vying for the tag of best visiting side in the world, a series win in England would be a perfect start to the quest.

On the other side, England test side will try and not give anything away to the opposition. Given the brand of cricket that England plays, they won’t allow the Indians to settle in and gain an upper hand in any of the matches. Home conditions will be a big advantage for the Englishmen and they would try and exploit the conditions to the maximum and put Indian batsmen under pressure.

Usually it is the 1st Test in a long series that sets the tone for the rest of the narrative, this series seems to be no different. It is the bowlers that help win Test matches, as one should have the bowling attack to take 20 wickets to think of winning a Test match. Below are 5 Indian gentlemen who have picked the most Test wickets against England.

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#5. Vinoo Mankad (1946-1952)

Vinoo Mankad was a batting all-rounder

Vinoo Mankad, at best, was a batting all-rounder. He was not famous for his slow left-arm bowling. However, it is no secret that England have always found it difficult to play against the spinners and Mankad’s accurate line and length was enough to castle English batsmen.

Best known for his world record opening partnership of 413 runs with Pankaj Roy, Mankad scored 231 runs against New Zealand at Chennai in that innings, and looked in absolute control of all the shots that he played. The record opening stand between the duo lasted 52 years and Mankad’s 231 was the highest Individual Test Score by an Indian batsman until Sunil Gavaskar surpassed it.

Against England, Mankad picked up 54 wickets in 11 matches at a healthy average of 23.12, the best bowling average featuring in this list, and a much better average than Mankad’s own career average of 32.32- a testimony to England’s batting woes against spin bowling. Mankad also went on to have reasonable amount of success with the bat against England.

#4. Kapil Dev (1979-1993)

Kapil Dev went on to become one of the great pacers of the country

In a country where fast bowlers are a rare species, Kapil Dev went on to become one of the best pacers of the country and the best pace bowling all-rounder till date. In 2002, Kapil Dev was voted as the cricketer of the century ahead of legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.

Best remembered in Indian cricket history for leading the Indian side to a World Cup win in 1983, Kapil Dev also held the record for the most number of wickets in Test cricket history when he surpassed Hadlee’s tally and took 434 wickets by the time he was done.

Against England, the Chandigarh lad took 85 wickets in 27 matches at an average of 37.34 and is the only pacer to feature in this list. Although Kapil’s average is higher against the England side compared to his career average of 29.64, he was as effective as the Indian spinners.

#3. Bishan Bedi (1967-1979)

Bedi was a master at deceiving the batsman

The art of spin bowling reached a different zenith with Bishan Singh’s career. Bedi was a master at deceiving the batsman with subtle variations in flight, loop, pace and length- all of that with enormous control and no apparent change in action. His slow left arm orthodox spin was enough to leave the batsman flabbergasted as he remained India’s consistent wicket taker for a large part of his career.

By the time Bedi was done playing professional cricket, he had as many as 1560 first-class wickets, more than any other Indian bowler. His best bowling performance came against Australia at Calcutta in 1969-70 when he picked up 7 wickets for 98 runs.

Against England, Bedi managed to take 85 wickets in 22 matches and had an average of 29.87. Because of his better average and economy, Bedi is ranked ahead of Kapil Dev.

#2. Anil Kumble (1990-2007)

Kumble is India's highest wicket taker in Tests

Anil Kumble, a soft-spoken humble engineer from Karnataka, despite all his limitations, became one of the best ever leg spinners. Kumble is the country’s highest test match wicket taker and one of the bowling stalwarts of the 1990s and 2000s.

His 10 wicket haul against Pakistan in a single inning and the image of him bowling with a broken jaw are two of the highlights of his career. However, his only Test match hundred, which came against England at the Oval might have given him greater joy.

Against England, the Jumbo, as he is called because of his quick flippers, picked up 92 wickets in 19 matches at an average of 30.59.

#1. BS Chandrasekhar (1964-1979)

Chandra took 42 wickets in 5 Overseas Tests

When Chandra played cricket, winning a Test match in overseas conditions was very much a dream. However, Chandra was India’s greatest match winner in overseas conditions for he could turn the ball in any condition and on any surface. Chandra took 42 wickets in 5 Overseas Tests- the batsmen were left baffled by his rare ability to spin the ball at the pace of a medium pacer on the slower side.

Chandra played a key role in India’s first series win in England back in the year 1971 as he picked up 6/38 at The Oval and he also helped India beat Australia in Australia with his match figures of 12/108.

Against England, the Karnataka bowler picked up the highest wickets by any Indian bowler-95 wickets in 23 matches at an average of 27.27.