The test series between India and England has started at Nottingham. England, after winning the toss were bundled out for 183, credit to Bumrah, Shami, and Shardul Thakur, who took 9 wickets together. Some of the greatest names in Indian cricket have left their mark in England by taking responsibility and digging deep. Series wins may have been rare but Indian bowlers have consistently provided performances worth remembering. Here’s a look at some of the finest bowling performances by Indians in away Tests series against England:
1971: BS Chandrashekhar
The year 1971 was great for Indian cricket. The Indians saw an unstoppable young Sunil Gavaskar who led the charge in an epic series win against West Indies. Then arrived BS Chandrashekhar who was the hero in India’s first-ever series win in England. Spinners Chandrasekhar, S Venkataraghavan, and Bishan Singh Bedi finished as the top wicket-takers of the three-match series, with the leggie landing the decisive punch in the final game. In the third test England got a decent lead of 71 runs and they threatened to run away with the series but Chandrashekhar didn’t let that happen. The leg-spinner picked 6/38 as England were bowled out for just 101 before India went on to register a famous four-wicket win.
1986: Chetan Sharma
This is said to be the most extensive Test series win in England for India. Also, one of the focusing lights on that visit was Chetan Sharma. The right-arm pacer missed the second of the three Tests yet was the top wicket-taker in the series by some distance. His figures in the four innings that he bowled were: 5/64 (32), 1/48 (17), 4/130 (29.3), and 6/58 (24). India won the initial two Tests and opened with Kapil Dev, Roger Binny, and Madan Lal through the series, yet Sharma’s effect as a first change bowler was annihilating. It’s a pity that these were the solitary two Tests he at any point played in England.
2002: Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh
In this series, as well, England procured an exhaustive win in the first Test. Be that as it may, the remaining three matches saw India make a vivacious fightback. Among the bowlers, it was the spin pair of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh who drove the charge. It was a high-scoring series with batsmen from the two groups getting hundreds reliably. The second and fourth games finished in draws however the third one saw India level the series. That match at Leeds stays famous for Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sourav Ganguly hitting tons in the first innings, yet Kumble and Harbhajan had their influence also by picking seven and four wickets individually in the match.
2007: Zaheer Khan
This was the third time India won a Test series in England and the critical player of that triumph was Zaheer Khan. The first and third games finished in draws however the left-arm pacer’s nine-wicket haul in the subsequent Test gave India a well-known seven-wicket win. Zaheer got his momentum with a match haul of six wickets in the series opener and when the action moved to Nottingham for the subsequent Test, he was bowling with a superb beat. He picked a five-for in the second innings of that match yet his critical forward leaps in the first innings assisted India with bowling out England for only 198 and set up the success.
2014: Bhuvneshwar Kumar
India lost this five-match series 3-1, with their batting neglecting to set up a battle in the last three games. The initial two Tests, nonetheless, saw Bhuvneshwar Kumar lead the charge of two great exhibitions. He picked a five-wicket take to help India draw the opener, prior to bagging a six-for in the following game to hand his team the series lead. The right-arm pacer was 24 years of age around then and bowled extended spells to give captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni control from one end. Bhuvneshwar conveyed 172.5 overs in seven innings in that series and was without a doubt the head bowler for India.
