ICC World Test Championship: How have Indian bowlers fared?
Team India is set to lock horns with New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final, starting June 18. Once again, the Indians will bank on the fast bowlers, who have been pivotal in the championship cycle. Picking the right combination of seamers and spinners will be the key for skipper Kohli. We analyze the performance of Indian bowlers in the WTC.
India's leading wicket-taker in the WTC
Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is presently the third-highest wicket-taker in the WTC. He also has the most wickets for India, having taken 67 scalps from 13 Tests at a phenomenal average of 20.88. His best match haul (9/207) in this period came against England (1st Test, 2021). He topped the wickets chart in the series (32 wickets at 14.72).
A look at the major records he broke
During the third Test in the England series, Ashwin became only the fourth Indian to take 400 wickets in Test cricket. Overall, he became the the second-fastest (77) to do so after Muttiah Muralitharan (72). Ashwin is also the second player have recorded 400 wickets and five or more centuries after Kapil Dev (eight centuries and 434 wickets).
India vs England: Man of the Series
Ashwin was adjudged the Man of the Series (England) for registering 32 wickets and 189 runs. This was his eighth MOS award in Test cricket. He is only behind Muralitharan (11) and Jacques Kallis (9) on the tally.
Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami follow Ashwin
Ishant Sharma is India's joint-second-highest wicket-taker in the WTC along with Mohammed Shami. The former has scalped 36 wickets from 11 Tests at an incredible average of 17.36. In the England series, Ishant became only the third Indian pacer after Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan to take 300 Test wickets. Meanwhile, Shami accounted for 36 scalps from 10 matches at 19.77.
How has Jasprit Bumrah performed?
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah rose to prominence during the inaugural WTC cycle. The 27-year-old scripted history in India's first series of the championship. In the second Test against West Indies, Bumrah became only the third Indian to take a Test hat-trick. Even in the series opener, he registered astonishing innings figures of 5/7. Overall, Bumrah took 34 wickets at 22.41 in this period.
The other Indian bowlers who excelled
The likes of Umesh Yadav (29) and Ravindra Jadeja (28) follow Bumrah on the list. Axar Patel, who played just three Tests, scalped 27 wickets in the England series. This is the joint-most wickets by an Indian in his debut Test series (with Dilip Doshi). Mohammed Siraj, who registered a historic five-for in Brisbane, scalped 16 wickets in the WTC.
