5 Team India bowlers with most wickets in England

Over the years, England have been one of the most difficult countries to tour for Team India. The Asian giants have played 18 series in England, managing to win only three (1971,1986 and 2007) and lose 14.

While the batsmen have struggled to tackle the extra pace and swing, bowlers have also had their problems. The spinners have had to adjust their line and length with limited assistance available, while the pacers have traditionally found it difficult to manage the Duke ball.

#TeamIndia hit the ground running as they get into the groove for the #ENGvIND Test series 👌 👌 pic.twitter.com/UQhcJU5aBj

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 25, 2021

Despite all the struggles, there have been good performances put up by Team India heroes in patches. As India embark on a new journey, let's take a look at top 5 highest wicket-takers among Indians in English conditions.

5. BS Chandrasekhar | 31 wickets

BS Chandrasekhar

BS Chandrasekhar was for long India's greatest match-winner in overseas conditions. Chandrasekhar was a rare gem for a team that rarely won abroad.

His 6 for 38 at The Oval in 1971 gave India their first series victory in English conditions. He picked up 31 wickets from nine Tests in England.

Chandrasekhar finished with 242 wickets from 54 matches with 16 five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls in a match.

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4. Bishen Singh Bedi | 35 wickets

Bishen Singh Bedi

The former left-arm orthodox spinner, who represented India for over a decade, was part of the famous spin quartet consisting of Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar.

Bishen Singh Bedi accumulated 35 wickets from four England tours, one short of Anil Kumble. His best figures came at the historic Lord's Stadium, where he scalped 6/226.

Having played for Northamptonshire for many years, Bedi was used to the conditions and utilised his knowledge to perfection while playing for India.

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3. Anil Kumble | 36 wickets

A Touch of genius...The great Anil Kumble, on this day in 1993, produced these cracking wickets against England.... pic.twitter.com/iQFbv6w6Nf

— Rob Moody (@robelinda2) February 23, 2021

The former India skipper Anil Kumble is arguably one of the greatest leg-spinners to play the game. Despite having limited variations, Kumble reached the pinnacle of the game solely based on his grit, determination and hunger to perform.

Kumble shone not only on Asian wickets but also on pace-friendly wickets. He has the most wickets (36) among Indian spinners in English conditions. The 50-year-old has picked up 36 wickets from 10 matches with his best figures of 4/66 coming at Leeds.

He accounted for 14 wickets each on 2002 and 2007 tours, while he picked up three and five on 1990 and 1996 tours, respectively.

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2. Kapil Dev | 43 wickets

The former World Cup winner is one of the greatest fast bowlers India has ever produced. Hailing from Haryana, Kapil Dev had everything in his armoury to trouble the batters. He was at his personal best in seaming conditions.

The former captain toured England four times from 1979. Kapil Dev's best performance came on his first tour of the UK, where he picked up 16 wickets, including a five-wicket haul.

Overall, he accumulated 43 wickets against England at their home and proved to be a deadly customer.

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1. Ishant Sharma | 46 wickets

Ishant Sharma

The tall and lanky fast bowler has produced his best in English conditions.

Since 2011, Ishant Sharma has toured the UK four times, including the current one. During the 211 tour, the pacer from Delhi picked up 11 wickets, including a four-wicket haul at Lord's. In 2014, he bagged 14 wickets and backed it with an even better performance four years later when he scalped 18 wickets.

This time around, Ishant Sharma picked up three wickets in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, which takes his tally to 46 wickets in England from 13 matches.

The 32-year-old will look to add more to his tally when the five-match Test series gets underway on August 4 in Nottingham.