Indian bowlers with best match figures against New Zealand (Tests)
Indian off-spinner Washington Sundar registered his maiden 10-wicket match haul in Test cricket. The all-rounder made a strong impact in the second Test versus New Zealand by taking seven wickets in the first innings and four in the second. His efforts meant NZ were folded for 255 in the third innings in Pune. Here we look at Indian bowlers with the best match figures against NZ (Tests).
Ravichandran Ashwin - 13/140 in Indore, 2016
As per ESPNcricinfo, Ravichandran Ashwin happens to be the only Indian bowler to claim 13 wickets in a Test versus NZ. He registered figures worth 6/81 and 7/59 against in the 2016 Indore Test. He overall finished with a match haul of 13/140 as the hosts won the duel by 321 runs. On a track where India declared at 557/5 batting first, NZ were folded for 299 and 153.
Ravichandran Ashwin - 12/85 in Hyderabad, 2012
Ashwin also holds the second place on this list as he claimed 12/85 in the 2012 Hyderabad game. It was another instance of the offie claiming six-fers as he took 6/31 in his first outing and followed it up with 6/54. His brilliance meant NZ were restricted to 159 and 164 in their two innings, handing India an innings triumph.
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan - 12/152 in Delhi, 1965
Former spinner Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan holds the record for best bowling figures (innings) by an Indian against New Zealand in Tests. He achieved the feat in a 1965 Delhi Test, taking eight wickets for 72 runs in the first innings. Venkataraghavan took four more wickets (4/80) in his second outing to finish the game with 12/152. His performance was instrumental in India's seven-wicket victory.
Washington Sundar - 11/115 in Pune, 2024
In the first innings of the aforementioned Pune Test, Sundar put on a show by taking seven wickets and ripping apart the New Zealand batting lineup. He finished with 7/59 as NZ went from 197/3 to 259/10. In the second innings, he was on fire again as four of the five fallen NZ wickets on Day 2 belonged to him. He claimed 4/56 to finish the match with 11/115.
Erapalli Prasanna - 11/140 in Auckland, 1975
Erapalli Prasanna is the other Indian besides Venkataraghavan to have taken eight wickets in a Test innings against New Zealand. His stunning performance came in the 1975 Auckland Test, where he returned with figures of 8/76 in the second innings. This saw New Zealand being bowled out for 215 and India winning by a phenomenal eight wickets. Notably, Prasanna also took three wickets (3/64) in the first innings as he finished with 11/140.
