NEW DELHI: Legendary all-rounder
Kapil Dev is leading the list, otherwise dominated by spinners, of Indian bowlers with most number of wickets against
West Indies
in Tests at home.
TimesofIndia.com brings you a brief recap of the top five highest Indian wicket-takers ahead of the two-Test match series against the Caribbean team in India.
1. Kapil Dev (54 wickets in 16 Tests)Legendary fast bowler Kapil ruled the roost with more than fifty wickets to his name at an average of 26.5, and that too in an era where West Indies batsmen were as aggressive perhaps as their fearsome pace attack. Kapil's best bowling figures of 9/83 were also registered against the Windies during the Ahmedabad Test way back in November 1983 after India's historic World Cup triumph. The Haryana hurricane dismissed the legends of West Indian cricket in that match that comprised the likes of Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Larry Gomes, Gus Logie, Jeff Dujon, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Wayne Daniel.
2. Bhagwath Chandrasekhar
(44 wickets in 11 Tests)Ace Indian spinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, a doyen among the world's top leg spinners, holds the second spot with a spell of 7/157 being his best against the West Indies in the 1966 Mumbai Test. Chandrasekhar, despite having a polio-affected left arm, represented India in 58 Tests, picking up 242 wickets at an average of 29.74 in his over 15-year long career. Chandra, as he is famously known was part of the legendary Indian spin quartet along with EAS Prasanna, BS Bedi and S Venkataraghavan that made Indian spin bowling a force to reckon with during the 1960s and 1970s.
3. Karsan Ghavri (36 wickets in 9 Tests)Left-arm medium pacer Karsan Ghavri, who was popular for his long run-up and a high-leap action, is third on the list with best figures of 5/51 against the West Indies in December 1978 in Bangalore. His most productive series in fact was also one that was played against the Windies in 1978-79 where he picked up 27 wickets. India won that six-match series 1-0. Finally, a series win for India at home, their second overall after Ajit Wadekar guided India to a famous series victory in West Indies in 1971. Ghavri took a total of 109 Test wickets that included four five-wicket hauls in his career overall.
4. Ravichandran Ashwin (34 wickets in 5 Tests)Prolific off-spinner Ashwin, who holds the fourth spot, is the only current cricketer to feature in this list. Ashwin made a sensational entry into Test cricket, picking up 6/47 against West Indies in his debut Test in 2011 at the Ferozshah Kotla. Ashwin, who would be looking to capitalise on home conditions this time needs just 11 wickets to move into second position on this list.
5. Pragyan Ojha (31 wickets in 5 Tests)Left-arm orthodox Ojha has some similarities with Ashwin when it comes to playing against West Indies in Test cricket. Ojha has also played five Tests with 6/47 being his best figures against the Caribbean team. He made his Test debut on November 24, 2009 in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Kanpur, finishing with figures of 2/37 in the first innings and 2/36 in the second in what was India's 100th Test match win. Incidentally, Ojha was also the 800th and last Test scalp of Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan - the highest wicket-taker in Test history.
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