Top 5 Indian bowlers fastest to take 300 wickets in test cricket

Only six Indian bowlers have taken 300 or more wickets in test cricket so far.

Indian cricket has produced a few of the greatest bowlers in test cricket, and they dominated some of the world-class batting line-ups globally.

Achieving the milestone of 300 test wickets is something many Indian bowlers dreamt of but only six of them could attain this feat. Getting to 300 test scalps reflects a bowler’s consistency and an ever-improving skillset.

On that note, let’s list the top five Indian bowlers who were the quickest to 300 test wickets in terms of matches taken.

Top five Indian bowlers fastest to take 300 wickets in tests:

5. Zaheer Khan (89 matches)

Former pacer Zaheer Khan is India’s greatest left-arm seamer. He played a huge role in India recording some of their famous victories both in ODIs and tests.

Zaheer made his test debut against Bangladesh at Dhaka in November 2000 and played his last game against New Zealand at Wellington in February 2014.

The 2011-ODI World Cup-winning player is the fifth-fastest Indian bowler to achieve 300 test wickets. Zaheer reached this historic feat during the match against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2013. He took 89 test matches to reach this milestone.

Overall, Zaheer played 92 tests and picked up 311 wickets.

4. Kapil Dev (83 matches)

The 1983 ODI World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev is one of the greatest pacers and all-rounders the world has seen.

Kapil made his test debut against arch-rivals Pakistan at Faisalabad in October 1978 and played his last game against New Zealand at Hamilton in March 1994.

In his 16-year-long test career, Kapil played 131 matches and picked up 434 wickets at an average of 29.64. Throughout his glorious career, Kapil achieved various milestones, one of which was claiming 300 test wickets at a quick rate.

The right-arm speedster took 83 tests to achieve this feat. Kapil reached this milestone during a test match against Sri Lanka in Cuttack in October 1978.

3. Harbhajan Singh (72 matches)

One of the greatest finger-spinners of all time, Harbhajan Singh was the first Indian bowler to pick a test hat-trick. Singh played a huge role for the Indian cricket team in ODIs and tests. The legendary off-spinner made his test debut against Australia in March 1998 and played his last test against Sri Lanka in August 2015.

Harbhajan is the third-fastest Indian to reach 300 test wickets. The off-spinner took 72 matches to accomplish this iconic feat. Singh achieved this milestone during a test match against Australia in Nagpur in November 2008. Overall, Harbhajan played 103 test matches and dismissed 417 wickets in his glorious career.

2. Anil Kumble (66 wickets)

No bowling milestone list in Indian cricket history is complete without the appearance of Anil Kumble. Kumble is India’s leading wicket-taker in both tests and ODIs. His stats and achievements showcase the rich legacy he has left behind.

From becoming the first Indian to pick 10 wickets in a test innings to scalping 600 test wickets, no other Indian bowler has matched Kumble’s legacy in the longest format.

Among his many milestones, Kumble is the second-fastest Indian bowler to pick up 300 test wickets. The legendary leg-spinner took 66 matches to do it. Kumble achieved this feat during a test match against England in Bengaluru in December 2001.

Overall, he played 132 matches and took 619 wickets in the longest format.

1. Ravichandran Ashwin (54 matches)

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin tops this list. Ashwin made his test debut against the West Indies in November 2011 and since then has regularly delivered match-winning spells, especially in favourable conditions. The wily spinner has played 100 tests and has dismissed 516 batters.

Ashwin is not only the fastest Indian bowler, but also overall the fastest to pick 300 wickets in test cricket. He needed only 54 tests to get to this milestone, breaking the record of Dennis Lillee, who took 56 test matches to claim 300 scalps. The off-spinner achieved this feat during a match against Sri Lanka in Nagpur in November 2017.

(All stats updated till 18th September, 2024)

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