The year 2000 is a revolutionary year for Indian cricket. Under their new captain, Sourav Ganguly, the Men in blue were overcoming one of the highest scandalous issues in the name of match-fixing. Then all of a sudden, they have put to encounter the visit of the mighty Australian team. Thrashed in the first Test match, India made possible a never-happened-before come-back from a humiliating follow-on to win the second Test in Kolkata, and what pursued is history.
Two batting sensations in the Indian side achieved their pinnacle in that series, especially VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. But it was the off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh, who made picking Australian wickets his hobby. Bhajji produced his career-best match and innings figures in the last game of the series in Chennai. And overall, he picked up 32 wickets in that 3-match series, which still stands tall in the world where we have 4-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy tournaments. Even Ravi Ashwin’s clean sweep in 2012/13 couldn’t match Harbhajan’s numbers. If it would have been 4-match Series, Harbhajan might have the greatest of opportunity to place himself in the list of top ten wicket-takers in a single bilateral Test series ever.
This article will list the top ten instances where a bowler picked the most wickets in a single BGT series.
| BOWLER | WICKETS | MATCHES | STRIKE RATE | SEASON | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbhajan Singh (IND) | 32 | 3 | 33.4 | 2000/01 | India |
| Jasprit Bumrah (IND) | 32 | 5 | 28.3 | 2024/25 | Australia |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) | 29 | 4 | 49.9 | 2012/13 | India |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 27 | 4 | 43.8 | 2004/05 | India |
| Ben Hilfenhaus (AU)S | 27 | 4 | 37.3 | 2011/12 | Australia |
| Ravindra Jadeja (IND) | 25 | 4 | 51.1 | 2016/17 | India |
| Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) | 25 | 4 | 39.9 | 2022/23 | India |
| Pat Cummins (AUS) | 25 | 5 | 40.0 | 2024/25 | Australia |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 24 | 3 | 51.5 | 2003/04 | Australia |
| Brett Lee (AUS) | 24 | 4 | 46.7 | 2007/08 | Australia |
Anil Kumble’s 24 wickets in Australia in the 2003/04 edition is the highest a visiting bowler picked in an away BGT series.
Kumble, the leading wicket-taker in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy history, also has the most number of entries as he was the leading wicket-taker for India in those three BGT series, whereas the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja made it to this list twice.
The highest number of wickets any Australian spinner picked in a single BGT series is 23 by Nathan Lyon in the 2013/14 edition in Australia. In the tournaments held in India, both Lyon and Steve O’Keefe picked 19 wickets each in the 2016/17 edition played in India.
Jasprit Bumrah’s 21 wickets in Australia in the 2018/19 edition is the highest any Indian fast bowler has picked in any BGT series.
Harbhajan’s masterstroke series in 2000/01 also was the only time any bowler picked two 10-wicket hauls in a BGT series. Harbhajan also picked four 5-wicket hauls in the same series, which Ravichandran Ashwin equaled in 2012/13.
Read: Most 5-Wicket Hauls in Test Cricket
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