Top 5 Test wicket-takers in 2017

In what was an action-packed year for Test cricket, as many as 47 matches took place in the premier format of the game during 2017. The calendar year began when South Africa hammered Sri Lanka by 282 runs at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town and ended when Australia staved off England's challenge at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to maintain their supremacy in the ongoing Ashes series.

In this particular segment, let us take a close look at the top five wicket-takers in Tests which took place in 2017. Three accurate finger spinners, a seasoned master of swing and a tearaway pacer comprise the most prolific bowlers in the calendar year. While India have two representatives in the top five, the remaining three slots see one each from Australia, England and South Africa.

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#5 Ravindra Jadeja - 54 wickets

Ravindra Jadeja has become a crucial component of India's bowling attack

The 2017 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy saw Ravindra Jadeja turn from support bowler to key operator. Impeccable control and stifling accuracy helped the left-arm spinner remain a potent threat right throughout the year. From 10 matches in the calendar year, he picked up 54 wickets at an impressive average of 23.05 and strike-rate of 56.5 including three five-wicket hauls.

The all-rounder's finest spell in 2017 came against Australia in a crucial match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. With India scoring just 189 runs in their first-innings, the onus fell on the bowlers to resurrect their fortunes. Jadeja scalped six wickets at the cost of just 63 runs and played a vital role in restricting the visitors' lead to 87 runs. Eventually, the match as well as series went on to turn in India's favour.

#4 James Anderson - 55 wickets

Anderson possesses the best average among the top five wicket-takers in 2017

It was befitting of the veteran's stature that England's only chance of securing a favourable result (when the series was still alive) came when their spearhead James Anderson scythed through Australia's second-innings in Adelaide. While the Ashes may be gone and the visitors continue to remain win-less, the 35-year old did his reputation no harm by showing that he did not need the Dukes ball to weave his magic.

2017 saw Anderson becoming only the third fast bowler in Test history to complete 500 scalps. During the course of the Melbourne Test, he even went past Courtney Walsh's tally of 519 wickets. From 11 matches in the calendar year, the experienced campaigner picked 55 wickets at a splendid average of 17.58 and strike-rate of 46.4 including a career best haul of 7/42 against West Indies at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground.

#3 Ravichandran Ashwin - 56 wickets

No bowler sent down more overs than Ashwin's tally of 554 overs in the calendar year

Unlike in last year when he topped the bowling charts, Ravichandran Ashwin had to settle for the position of leading wicket-taker among Indian bowlers. While the verve from 2016 went slightly missing on certain occasions, his tactical nous and subtle variations remained intact. From 11 Tests in the calendar year, the wily off-spinner scalped 56 wickets at an average of 27.58 and strike-rate of 59.3. Surprisingly, he managed to pick only a couple of five-wicket hauls in this time period.

When India were defending just 188 runs in the fourth-innings of the Bengaluru Test, Ashwin made full use of the rapidly deteriorating surface to shred Australia's batting lineup. His 6/41 propelled the hosts to a memorable 75-run victory. The other five-wicket haul came against Sri Lanka in Colombo (SSC). With India set to embark on a slew of challenging tours, 2018 could potentially form a very important year in Ashwin's career.

#2 Kagiso Rabada - 57 wickets

Kagiso Rabada spearheaded South Africa's bowling attack in the absence of Dale Steyn

After playing a starring role in South Africa's memorable series victory in Australia towards the end of last year, Kagiso Rabada headed into 2017 with immense self-belief. He began the year by ripping Sri Lanka apart on conducive pitches in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Although he did not quite live up to his potential in New Zealand, the right-armer got increasingly better as the series progressed.

In the absence of the effervescent Dale Steyn, Rabada found himself assuming the role of pace spearheaded during South Africa's tour of England. However, the 22-year old was not able to deliver any game-changing spells on softer surfaces. He soon returned to his best and mauled a meek Bangladeshi batting lineup in the two-match series at home. From 11 Tests in 2017, Rabada picked up 57 wickets at a tremendous average of 20.28 and remarkable strike-rate of 37.8.

#1 Nathan Lyon - 63 wickets

Lyon's consistency helped Australia improve drastically in subcontinental conditions

Unarguably, Nathan Lyon was the most improved bowler in 2017. While he had already displayed his prowess on bouncier surfaces down under, there were persistent doubts over his capacity to adapt himself against Asian batsmen on turning tracks in the subcontinent. During the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Bengaluru, the off-spinner registered the best figures by a visiting bowler on Indian soil and consequently banished all scepticism in grand style.

On spin-friendly pitches in Bangladesh, Lyon took his game to the next level. In the second Test at Chittagong, he devoured 13 scalps to help Australia pull off a series-levelling victory. From 11 Tests, the 30-year old picked 63 wickets to become the most prolific bowler of 2017. An average of 23.55 and strike-rate of 52.5 as well as five five-wicket hauls vindicate his marked progress in the calendar year.