5 occasions when Indian spinners took 19 or more wickets in a Test

India recorded a famous victory over South Africa in the 1st Test of the Gandhi-Mandela Series and most of the credit for it can be attributed to their spinners. The Indian spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra managed to claim 19 out of the 20 wickets that fell for South Africa in the match.However, this is not the first time that a combination of Indian spinners has got 19 wickets or more in a Test. There have been 8 occasions prior to this one when India’s spin bowlers have ruled the roost.Let’s take a look at 5 of the best:

#1 India vs England, 1973, Chennai

The legendary B.S. Chandrasekhar tore through the England batting line-up

In the golden era of Indian spin bowling, the legendary trio of Bedi, Prasanna and Chandrasekhar demolished many a batting line-up with their ability to turn the ball viciously, particularly on home soil. The 1973 India-England Test series, in which India played hosts, was all square at 1-1 and a victory in the 3rd Test was imperative for both teams. After chosing to bat first, the Englishmen were skittled out for 242 thanks to Chandrasekhar’s 6 wicket haul and 2 wickets each for Bedi and Prasanna.

India managed to post 316 in their 1st innings and rode on yet another wipeout by the Indian spinners with Bedi and Prasanna claiming 4 victims apiece and Chandrasekhar and part-time spinner Salim Durrani getting 1 each. Left with just 86 to chase courtesy a stellar bowling performance by their tweakers, the Indian team rode to victory by 4 wickets.

#2 India vs New Zealand, 1976, Auckland

Erapalli Prasanna was the architect of one of India’s most memorable overseas wins

A victory on foreign soil for the Indian team was an even rare instance in the 1970s than it is today. So there had to be a remarkable performance that was required to make it happen and it was the spin trio of Erapalli Prasanna, B.S. Chandrasekhar and S. Venkataraghavan who put their hands up. The three of them went on to deliver a clean sweep in both innings picking up all 20 wickets in the match.

New Zealand batted first after winning the toss but were bundled out for 266 as Chandrasekhar, Prasanna and Venkat took 6, 3 and 1 respectively. A successful outing with the bat meant that India got a big 1st innings lead. The second innings was even worse for the Kiwis and they were bowled out for 215 mainly due to Prasanna’s 8 for 76; the other 2 went to Chandrasekhar. India completed the 68-run chase with consummate ease and registered a memorable overseas win

#3 India vs Australia, 2013, Chennai

Another one bites the dust for the Aussies as they succumbed to the Indian spin attack

This was the 1st Test of what went on to become India’s famous whitewash of the Australian team in the 2013 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Indian spin trio of Ashwin, Jadeja and Harbhajan set the tone for the rest of the series by spinning a web around the opposition batsmen and getting all 20 wickets in the match. In the process, they helped India clinch a comfortable 8-wicket victory.

Ravichandran Ashwin led the way, grabbing 12 wickets in the match – 7 in the 1st innings and 5 in the 2nd. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh picked up 5 and 3 respectively. This performance by the Indian spinners is one of their more impressive ones in the past decade or so.

#4 India v Australia, 1959, Kanpur

Jasubhai Patel took a then Indian record of 9 for 69

2001 was not the first time India levelled a series against Australia coming from behind; it happened in 1959 too and the Indian spinners were the wreckers-in-chief in this case as well. Indian off-spinner Jasubhai Patel produced the best bowling figures of 9 for 69 for his country, a record that was only eclipsed 40 years later by a certain Anil Kumble who took all 10 in an innings.

Patel ended up taking 14 wickets in the Test and was well supported by Polly Umrigar who took 5 as India managed to register a surprise win over Test cricket giants Australia and drew level by 1-1 in the 5 Test series, a series which they eventually lost.

#5 India vs Australia, 1969, Delhi

Bedi gets another wicket against Australia in 1969

The spin twins Bedi and Prasanna were at their best in the late 60s and throughout the 70s as they combined to produce one legendary performance after another for India. Perhaps one of the greatest among them came in the 3^rd Test of the India-Australia played at Delhi in 1969. The duo picked up 8 wickets in the Australian 1^st innings, 4 each, and 1 went to another spinner S. Venkataraghavan.

In the second innings, Bedi and Prasanna shared all 10 wickets between them with 5 each in their kitty as they blew away the tourists from Down Under for a paltry 107. This enabled India to win with ease by 7 wickets chasing 181.