Anil Kumble, stands as India’s leading wicket-taker across all international formats. Debuting in a Test match against England in 1990, Kumble claimed a remarkable total of 953 wickets in 401 matches, boasting an average of 30.06.
Born in Bangalore, he concluded his illustrious career with 619 wickets in Test cricket from 132 matches, achieving an impressive average of 29.65. His record includes 35 instances of taking five wickets in an innings and eight occasions of claiming ten or more wickets in a match.
Kumble’s presence was also strongly felt in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), where between 1990 and 2007, he played 269 matches and secured 334 wickets at an average of 30.83.
Bowlers With the Most Wickets for India in All Formats
| Player | Test wickets | ODI wickets | T20I wickets | Total wickets |
| Anil Kumble | 619 | 334 | – | 953 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 516 | 156 | 72 | 735 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 417 | 265 | 25 | 707 |
| Kapil Dev | 434 | 253 | – | 687 |
| Zaheer Khan | 311 | 269 | 17 | 597 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 292 | 220 | 53 | 565 |
| Javagal Srinath | 236 | 315 | – | 551 |
| Mohammed Shami | 229 | 195 | 24 | 448 |
| Ishant Sharma | 311 | 115 | 8 | 434 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 157 | 149 | 74 | 378 |
Currently, Ravichandran Ashwin sits behind Kumble as the second-leading wicket-taker for India, amassing 744 wickets across formats in 281 matches. With a significant contribution to Tests, Ashwin has gathered 516 wickets in 100 matches, supplementing these with 156 in ODIs and 72 in T20Is, making him the second-most successful bowler in Indian Test history. He recently surpassed Anil Kumble for the most test wickets for India at home.
Harbhajan Singh, another standout spinner, holds the third spot with 707 wickets across 365 matches, maintaining an average of 32.59. Having debuted in Test cricket against Australia in 1998, he retired with 417 Test wickets from 103 matches. Nicknamed ‘The Turbantor,’ he also took part in 234 ODIs, claiming 265 wickets at an average of 33.47.
Completing the top five wicket-takers for India are the former fast bowler Kapil Dev and seamer Zaheer Khan. Kapil, who led India to its 1983 World Cup victory, secured 687 wickets in 356 matches, with 434 in Tests and another 253 in ODIs. Zaheer Khan, a key player in India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, took 597 wickets across 303 matches, leaving a lasting legacy in Indian cricket history.
