6 Best fast bowlers in Test format in Indian Cricket history

While not exactly the kind of contest that we were expecting, India's easy win over debuting Afghanistan in just two days in a Test match at Bengaluru was a nice way for the Indian cricket team to prove their fitness and make a case for themselves before the lengthy tour to England.

While the batting started on a high and then floundered down the order, the bowlers had a fantastic outing against an inferior side. Both spinners and pacers decimated the Afghani batting as they chipped in with 11 and 9 wickets respectively.

The Indian bowling lineup has been, in the past, known for their profess in the spin department. Even though the team now has an acclaimed quartet of fast bowlers in all three formats, the same can not be said about the history of quickies from India.

However, there have been a few who have managed to make a mark for themselves in the past. Here are the six best fast bowlers for India in Test cricket history.

---

Honourable Mentions

The Present Spearhead of Indian Fast Bowling.

Karsan Ghavri

The first Indian fast-bowler to take 100 wickets in a Test match, Karsan Ghavri was India's premier fast bowler till 1980. Between 1974 and 1981, Ghavri played 39 test matches and took 109 test wickets, which also included four 5-wicket hauls.

Irfan Pathan

Once regarded as India's next big thing, Irfan Pathan's career came to a premature end due to various reasons. However, between 2003 and 2008, he was India's best fast bowler and took 100 wickets in 29 test matches, including India's second ever test hat-trick. In addition to that, he has seven 5-wicket hauls and two 10 wickets per match to his name

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Had Bhuvneshwar Kumar been a regular member of the Test squad during his early years, he would certainly have been an automatic choice for this list. However, he was not a regular member of the team until 2017, and has only played 21 tests and taken 63 wickets. His bowling average and economy of 26.1 and 2.94 are among the best in Indian history. He will surely join the list in the years to come.

#6 Mohammed Shami

Shami made a significant impact in his debut series.

It was more of a toss-up between Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for this last spot, but since Shami was nearly unplayable at his peak and has more wickets to his name means he deserves to be on this list.

Shami started his career with a bang by taking 9 wickets in his debut match against West Indies in 2013 and leaving a solid impression straight away. Since that match and that memorable series, Shami has been part of the Indian team regularly and has featured in 30 test matches so far.

In the 58 innings of those matches, Shami has 110 scalps to his name, which includes three 5-wicket hauls. His strike rate of 51.2 and an average of 28.9 are among the best among the Indian bowlers. In recent times, however, Shami has lost his place in the team due to fitness and performance issues.

#5 Umesh Yadav

The Warrior from Vidarbha.

From one fiery fast bowler to the other, and this one is still wreaking havoc with the ball in the longest format of the game. Umesh Yadav is easily the best Indian fast bowler that debuted in this decade, and the pacer from Nagpur has done wonders for the Indian cricket team in the last 7 years.

There have, in fact, been times in the past where Yadav seemed nearly unplayable to the opposition batsmen. Between his debut match in 2011 and the on-off test against Afghanistan two days ago, Umesh was part of the playing XI in 37 test matches.

In the 72 innings of those matches, he accounted for 103 wickets of the opposition, which includes a solitary 5-wicket haul against Australia in Perth. An economy of 3.64 and average of almost 35 might not look that promising, but the fact that Umesh has won so many matches for team warrant a place for him in this list.

#4 Ishant Sharma

India's senior pacer.

While the previous two entries have been successful in all the three format of the game in the last few years, here is a guy who did the same for the team but only in the longest format of the game.

Even since he made his debut in 2007 at the age of 18, Ishant Sharma has been a permanent fixture of Indian team in the longest format and is, at present, the senior most fast-bowler in the team. While he did not find appropriate successes in the shorter formats of the game, the same can not be said about his career in the longest format.

The lanky pacer from Delhi, in the past 11 years, has played 82 test matches for India and has 238 wickets to his name in that period. He also has seven 5-wicket hauls and has taken 10 wickets in a match once. At just 28, Ishant has a lot of cricket still left in the tank and will continue to win matches for India.

#3 Javagal Srinath

India's spearhead for almost a decade.

The first Indian fast bowler to touch the 150 kmph mark on the speedometer, Javagal Srinath for the spearhead of the Indian bowling lineup for almost 10 years. Just like his impeccable performance in the limited overs format, Srinath was lethal with the ball in Test cricket.

The fact that he was India's lone regular fast bowler during the late 1990s explains why he was such an important part of the Indian team during that period. Between 1991 and 2002, Javagal Srinath played 67 test matches for the Indian cricket team, which was more than any other Indian fast bowler.

In the 121 innings of those fixtures, Srinath scalped 236 opposition batsmen with his magical bowling. With 236 wickets at an average of 30.49 and economy of 2.85, Srinath has one of the best statistics among the fast bowlers in the history of Indian cricket.

#2 Zaheer Khan

India's best Left Arm fast bowler.

The retirement of Javagal Srinath began the upcoming of a new era of Indian fast bowling as Zaheer Khan became India's lead pacer and stayed there for the better part of the next decade. Zaheer was the first among the plethora of left-arm fast bowlers who made debut for India during the 2000s and was also the most successful.

With his unique ability to swing the ball in both directions, Zaheer was a force to reckoned with during his prime. In the 14 years between 2000 and 2014, Zaheer Khan played 92 test matches for the Indian team, which is more than any other pure fast bowler.

In those 92 fixtures, Zaheer took 311 wickets of the opposition batsmen at an average of 32.94 and an economy of 3.27. One of India's biggest match winners, Zak also has eleven 5-wicket haul to his name and has taken 10 wickets in a match one time.

#1 Kapil Dev

The best fast bowler ever produced by India.

There has never been, and there probably never will be, a better Indian Fast Bowler than Kapil Dev Nikhanj. Kapil Dev single-handedly led the Indian Fast Bowling line up at the time when India was not known for producing fast bowlers, and he left a legacy that will be remembered for years and years to come.

Part of the quartet of legendary all-rounders in the era, he was a proven match winner for India for 16 years. Kapil had a test career that lasted longer than any other Indian fast bowler as he represented India in 131 matches between 1978 and 1994. In that period, he accounted for 434 wickets of the opposition batsmen at a good average of 29.64.

Between 1994 and 2001, he was the world record holder of most wickets by a bowler in test cricket. To compliment that, he had an economy of only 2.78 and took 23 five-fors in his career. Kapil Dev was a once in a generation player, and the impact that he had on making cricket popular in India is second to none.