Top 5 Indian Bowlers With Most Test Wickets In England

Bowling in England, under grey clouds, always provides a chance for the pacers to collect wickets with the new ball. If they bowl in the right line and length and hold the right channel, then it will be rewarding for the fast bowlers.

Due to the overcast conditions, the pacers always get the well rest in bowling long spells, to create pressure on the opponent batters. On a few specific grounds, the dry surfaces offer turn and bounce for the spinners, making it a bit challenging for the spinners.

Here are the top five Indian bowlers with the most Test wickets in England

1. Ishant Sharma (48 wickets)

The former Indian fast bowler, Ishant Sharma, is the leading wicket-taker in England. Because of his height, he could bowl the short balls at the batters’ face even with the old ball to create questions besides finding swing and seam with the new delivery.

The Delhi-born is the highest wicket-taker for the national side in English conditions with 48 scalps in 22 innings at an average of 34 and a strike rate of 61.9, including a couple of five-wicket hauls at the best bowling figure of 7/74 in an innings.

Also Read: Top 5 Bowlers With Most Wickets In India vs England Tests

At Lord’s, with the old ball, using his short balls, Ishant drove them to a famous victory during the 2014 series to go 1-0 up in the five games.

2. Kapil Dev (43 wickets)

The former Indian captain, Kapil Dev, was a workhorse for the blue brigade. In any condition, he would keep bowling at the right channel with both the new and old deliveries to challenge both the inside and outside edges of the batter.

Dev has collected 43 wickets to be the second wicket-taker for the blue brigade in these conditions. He has carried an average of 39.18 and a strike rate of nearly 80, thanks to a couple of five-wicket hauls at the best figure of 5/125 in an innings.

3. Jasprit Bumrah (37 wickets)

In such a short period, the premier Indian pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, has evolved his career with many prized scalps. Bumrah is a smart bowler who has both the swing and seam movement to ask questions to the batters, besides using his pace with the old ball to bring the reverse swing into the equation.

Bumrah, in just eight Tests in England, has collected 37 wickets in 15 innings at an average of 23.78 and a strike rate of less than 52, with the help of two five-wicket hauls at the best bowling figure of 5/64 in an innings.

His contribution during the fourth Oval Test in 2021 pushed the tourists to a 2-1 lead in the unfinished series.

4. Anil Kumble (36 wickets)

The Indian leg-spinner, Anil Kumble, is the first spinner on the list. Whenever the fast bowlers used to get tired, Kumble would come and bowl a few overs with a tight line and length to mount the pressure on the opposition batters.

Also Read: India Squad For England Tests After Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma’s Retirement

Kumble has bagged 36 wickets in 19 innings at an average of 41.41 and a strike rate of 87.4 in the Test matches in England, with the best bowling figure of 4/66 in an innings.

5. Bishan Bedi (35 wickets)

Bishan Bedi is the fifth on the list of the highest wicket-takers for the national side with 35 scalps in 18 innings. The spinner has enjoyed an average of 38.08 and a strike rate of 89.9 with the ball, thanks to the best figure of 6/226 in an innings.