Indian batters have often found themselves in trouble while batting in SENA – South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia – countries. But the story is a bit different for bowlers, more so for pacers.
All four countries offer favourable bowling conditions, where Indian bowlers have found considerable success. They have extracted pace, bounce, swing, and sometimes spin to take wickets and give India an advantage over the hosts.
On that note, here are the top 10 bowlers with the most Test wickets for India in SENA countries.
Most Test Wickets for India in SENA Countries
| Player | Innings | Wickets | BBI | Avg | 5W/10W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasprit Bumrah | 59 | 145 | 6/33 | 21.02 | 9/0 |
| Anil Kumble | 67 | 141 | 8/141 | 37.04 | 5/1 |
| Ishant Sharma | 71 | 130 | 7/74 | 36.86 | 5/0 |
| Mohammed Shami | 63 | 123 | 6/56 | 32.88 | 4/0 |
| Zaheer Khan | 53 | 119 | 5/29 | 31.47 | 6/0 |
| Kapil Dev | 62 | 117 | 8/106 | 33.07 | 7/0 |
| Bishan Singh Bedi | 42 | 90 | 6/127 | 30.98 | 5/1 |
| Javagal Srinath | 42 | 89 | 6/76 | 34.31 | 4/0 |
| Erapalli Prasanna | 34 | 78 | 8/76 | 29.94 | 5/1 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 44 | 72 | 4/55 | 39.55 | 0/0 |
Key Insights
6: The number of Indian bowlers who have taken 100 or more Test wickets in SENA countries. Right now, Jasprit Bumrah leads the chart, surpassing Anil Kumble’s tally.
The former Indian skipper Kapil Dev was the first Indian to claim 100-plus scalps in SENA countries.
5: Bumrah’s five-wicket hauls are also the most by an Indian bowler in SENA nations. In all, eight Indians have picked up five or more five-fors.
Of his overall five-fors, Bumrah’s three came within a year against South Africa, England, and Australia in 2018. That made him only the first Indian and Asian bowler to achieve this feat.
48: 2018 was a remarkable year for Bumrah as he picked up 48 scalps in nine Tests played across South Africa, England (14 in both countries), and Australia (20). These are the most wickets by an Indian bowler in SENA countries combined in a calendar year.
10: Only six Indian bowlers have grabbed a ten-wicket haul in SENA countries in Test cricket. Kumble, Bishan Bedi, and Bhagwath Chandrasekhar returned with 10-wicket match hauls in Australia, while Erapalli Prasanna (New Zealand), Chetan Sharma (England), and Venkatesh Prasad (South Africa) did so in the other three countries.
8/76: Prasanna’s bowling figures in the third innings against New Zealand in the 1976 Auckland Test. These are the best bowling figures by an Indian in SENA Tests.
64: Out of his overall tally, Bumrah’s 64 Test wickets in Australia are the most by an Indian in any of those four countries.
4: The number of bowlers with 30-plus Test wickets who average below 30 in SENA countries. Bumrah has the best bowling average, as he takes a wicket after approximately every 21 runs. Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Prasanna are the other three bowlers.
Read: The Best 10 Part-time Bowlers of All Time in Cricket
