5 Prolific Fielder/Bowler Combinations for India in Test Cricket History

Cricket is a team sport. Even though there have been instances where a single player has managed to run past the opposition to win the match for his team, the game usually requires partnership between different players and impeccable teamwork to achieve victories.

While the partnership of two batsmen and two bowlers playing in tandem is generally a well known way of winning the matches, there is one more partnership that usually gets unnoticed by the fans - The fielder/bowler combination.

Be it a wicket-keeper or a sweeper standing near the boundary line, the fielder plays as much of a role in a wicket as the bowler does. R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja only manage to take so many wickets because they have the likes of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane in the slip cordon.

India has seen various such legendary fielder/bowler combinations in the past as well, and, as a tribute to all such pairs, here are the 5 best fielder/bowler combinations for India in Test cricket.

Disclaimer :- This article includes both regular fielders and wicket keepers.

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#5 MS Dhoni - Zaheer Khan

Zak and Mahi had a brilliant record

There is absolutely no surprise that the pairing of Zaheer Khan and MS Dhoni finds a place in this list. After all, the two played with each other for the better part of their careers and were the numero uno players in their respective departments of bowling and wicket keeping. Since Zak was the master of swing in the early goings, he managed to get a number of players out caught behind with the help of Dhoni.

Zaheer and MS Dhoni played 45 matches together in the 8 year period between 2006 and 2014. In that period, Zaheer managed to take 43 scalps with the help of MS Dhoni, all of which were caught behind. No wonder these two were vital members of the squad that reached the top of Test cricket in that period.

#4 MS Dhoni - Ishant Sharma

The surprise entry on this list

Much like his pairing with Zaheer Khan, MS Dhoni had a rather successful bowler/wicket-keeper combination with Ishant Sharma. The surprising thing, however, is the fact that this pairing was more prolific than the more experienced one in the previous list. From Ricky Ponting to Jacques Kallis to Mahela Jayawardene, these two have worked together to take the scalps of some of the biggest cricketers in the world.

From 2007, i.e. Ishant Sharma's debut, to 2014, i.e. MS Dhoni's retirement, these two represented India together in 57 Test matches. In those matches, the two helped in taking 47 wickets of the opposition batsmen, all of which were caught behinds. Had it not been for MS Dhoni's early retirement, these two could have certainly been higher on this list.

#3 Rahul Dravid - Harbhajan Singh

The first of the two iconic duos from the last 20 years

A combination between spin bowlers and a slip fielder is arguably the best combination, apart from two fire-breathing opening bowlers, for a bowling team. From Jayawardene-Muralitharan to Taylor-Warne, this illustrious combination is usually considered the backbone of any bowling side during the middle overs. India, in the past 20 years, has witnessed two such pairs, and the Harbhajan-Dravid pairing is the first one that makes this list.

For almost 13 years between 1998 and 2011, Bhajji and Jammy were together part of the playing XI in 95 Test matches. In those matches, the off-spinner took 51 wickets where Dravid was the one helping him by taking the catch. These two played a big role in the success of each other's career as a bowler and a fielder, and in the success of the Indian team.

#2 Syed Kirmani - Kapil Dev

India's first prolific pair in this department

Way before MS Dhoni was taking catches constantly for fast bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, it was Syed Kirmani who had done the same thing for his team-mates like Kapil Dev and Roger Binny. In fact, the combination of Syed Kirmani as the wicket-keeper and Kapil Dev as the fast bowler is the best pairing of a pacer-fielder in the history of Indian Test Cricket.

Between 1978 and 1986, Kirmani and Kapil were part of the playing XI in 61 matches. The two accounted for 51 dismissals of the opposition batsmen, all of which were caught behinds by Kirmani. Even though they have the same number of dismissals as the Dravid-Bhajji pair, the fact that they achieved this feat in 28 matches lesser warrants a higher spot on this list.

#1 Rahul Dravid - Anil Kumble

Jammy and Jumbo

What happens when you pair India's most successful bowler and most successful fielder in the history of the game? You get the most prolific fielder-bowler combination for the Indian Cricket Team. Both Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid are bonafide legends, and have played a hand in many a number of wickets of the opposition batsmen. However, the two were at their best when Kumble was bowling and Dravid was fielding in the slip cordon.

The two Karnataka team-mates played International Cricket for 12 years between 1996 and 2008. In that period, the two were part of the Indian playing XI in 107 Test matches and accounted for 55 dismissals of some of the best batsmen of their generation. Along with Dravid's pairing with Bhajji, this pair won many a number of matches for the Indian cricket team in the last 2 decades.