The list of the Best Indian Fast Bowlers will remain incomplete if we only consider the bowlers from the past four decades. Simply relying on statistics is not enough to determine who is the best. In recent decades, the number of matches played has increased, leading to an increase in the number of wickets taken by bowlers. This is why the bowlers who played against Don Bradman, Len Hutton, or Wally Hammond have been forgotten and their performances remain unknown.
In the past, the Indian Cricket Team heavily relied on spinners. However, Kapil Dev changed this tradition and brought fast bowling to the forefront of Indian Cricket.
Surprisingly, the Indian Team that was selected for the first-ever Test in Indian Cricket History in 1932 had two talented fast bowlers, Amar Singh and Muhammad Nisar. However, cricket was not as glamorous back then, and only children from wealthy families participated in the game. This may be the reason why Indian cricket fans had to wait a long time for a genuine fast bowler.
Let’s see a list of 10 Best Indian Fast Bowlers for ever.
10) Mohammad Nisar:-
Many readers may be surprised to see the name Mohammad Nisar in the list of Best Indian Fast Bowlers. The younger generation may not be familiar with him, but he can undoubtedly be called the grandfather of India’s Fast Bowling. Nisar was the first Indian bowler to take five wickets in a test match.
When the Indian Team arrived in England in 1934 to play their first-ever Test, probably no Indian cricket fan could have predicted that the English team would be scared of the fiery pace of an Indian right-arm fast bowler.
C.K. Nayudu, the captain of the First Indian Test team, mentioned that Nisar’s bowling speed was even faster than the infamous English bowler, Larwood.
Mohammad Nisar played his last test match in 1936 against England. Surprisingly, in the first innings of that match, he took five wickets.
9) Amar Singh
Another forgotten Indian fast bowler who deserves to be included in the list of Best Indian Fast Bowlers is Amar Singh. Alongside Mohammad Nisar, Amar Singh was one of the main attacking fast bowlers of Indian Team in India’s Fast Ever Test Match.
A passionate cricket fan should know that Amar Singh claimed seven wickets in the third test against England in 1934. His 7/86 are still considered one of the top ten bowling performances by an Indian fast bowler. It was also the best bowling figure by an Indian fast bowler in a Test match until 1980.
8) Dattu Phadkar
Phadkar was considered the Best Indian Fast Bowler in the 1950s. Although he couldn’t make a mark in his debut Test against England, he showcased his talent in the India vs West Indies series in 1949.
The West Indies team at that time was one of the strongest in the Cricket World. Phadkar proved his talent against legends like Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott. His figures of 7/159 are still regarded as one of the outstanding performances by an Indian Fast Bowler.
7) Chetan Sharma
The success of the Indian Cricket Team in the 1983 World Cup elevated Kapil Dev to an iconic status among young cricket enthusiasts. With the growing popularity of pace bowling, several new bowlers were eagerly waiting for an opportunity of being selected in the Indian Team. Within a year of the 1983 World Cup, India found a bearded man to partner with Kapil. This man was none other than Chetan Sharma.
Chetan Sharma gained fame for achieving a hat trick in the World Cup, becoming the first bowler in cricket history to accomplish this feat. His impressive performance of taking 10 wickets in a test against England still holds the record for the best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in England. Although his career was short-lived due to poor performance, he undoubtedly deserves a place among the Best Indian Fast Bowlers.
6) Irfan Pathan:
Without a doubt, ICC Men’s Emerging Player of the Year 2004 deserves to be included in the list of the Best Indian Fast Bowlers. Pathan will always be remembered for achieving a hat trick in the first over of a Test match, making him the only bowler to accomplish this feat.
In the 2006 Karachi Test, Pathan stunned the hosts by dismissing Salman Butt, Younis Khan, and Mohammad Yusuf on consecutive deliveries.Pathan ranks third among the fastest 100 wicket takers among Indian Fast Bowlers, having claimed 100 wickets in just 28 Tests.
5) Javagal Srinath
After Kapil Dev’s retirement in 1994, Srinath undoubtedly emerged as one of the best fast bowlers to come out of India. He took over the reins of Indian Fast Bowling and was considered the fastest pace bowler of his time. Aliaster Cook even believed Srinath to be faster than Donald and Klusener. Initially, Srinath’s average bowling speed was around 155 km/hr.
Srinath showcased a superb performance against Pakistan in 1999, taking 13 wickets in the match and 8 wickets in the second innings. He ranks as the fourth highest wicket-taker among the Best Indian Fast Bowlers, with only Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan ahead of him, apart from Kapil Dev.
4) Mohammad Shami
It is expected that Shami will surpass Srinath as the highest wicket-taker among Indian Fast Bowlers within a year. After his exceptional performance in the last ODI World Cup, there is no denying that Shami is one of the best Fast Bowlers India has ever produced.
Shami displayed his talent in his debut test against West Indies, where he took 9 wickets. With Shami made a record of taking most wicket by an Indian Fast Bowler in debut test.
He also became the second Indian fast bowler, after Mohammad Nisar, to claim a 5-wicket haul in the debut test. Currently, Shami is the fifth highest Wicket Taker among the Indian Fast Bowlers in Test.
3)Jaspreet Bumrah
Jaspreet Bumrah is considered the Best Fast Bowler of the Indian team at present. He holds the distinction of being the first Asian bowler to achieve 5 wicket hauls in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand in the same calendar year. Bumrah showcased his skills during his debut test series against South Africa in 2017.
In 2019, he gave an outstanding performance by taking 5 wickets for just 7 runs against West Indies in the Second Innings of India West Indies Test. Undoubtedly, he deserves to be ranked fourth on the list of the best Indian fast bowlers.
2) Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma is known as the third Indian Fast Bowler to claim 300 test wickets. During the 2014 tour of England, Sharma achieved his career-best figures of 7/74 at Lord’s. His performance in that test played a crucial role in India’s victory. In the India Australia Test Series, Sharma was honored with the Man of the Series Award.
He became the second Indian fast bowler, apart from Kapil Dev, to receive this recognition. It is worth mentioning that only two Indian fast bowlers, Kapil Dev and Ishant Sharma, have played 100 tests. Sharma’s achievements solidify his position on the list of the Best Indian Fast Bowlers.
1) Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan is widely regarded as the greatest left-arm Fast Bowler that India has ever produced. He was even compared to the legendary Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram during his playing days. Zaheer faced tough competition at early phase of his international career, with RP Singh and Shreesanth being regular members of the Indian Test Squad.
However, within a year, Zaheer showcased his talent by claiming 5 wickets against Sri Lanka. He will always be remembered for introducing the Knuckle Ball in cricket. Zaheer is the second-highest wicket-taker among Indian fast bowlers.
Readers may be surprised once more as there is not a single name mentioned here. Is it appropriate to include Kapil Dev in this roster? Kapil Dev, a true legend, successfully dispelled the misconception that India could only produce spinners. Without a doubt, he is one of the finest fast bowlers in the history of cricket.
Kapil Dev – the Best Indian Fast Bowler
Kapil Dev undoubtedly holds the top position on the list of the best Indian fast bowlers. He revolutionized the concept of Indian bowling attack and remains the leading wicket-taker in Test among Indian fast bowlers.
Dev was renowned for his lethal out-swingers. His bowling figures of 9/83 in the second innings of the 3rd Test between India and West Indies are the third-best by an Indian bowler. Dev was also the first Indian bowler to claim 300 test wickets and still holds the record for being the youngest cricketer to achieve 100, 200, and 300 wickets. In 1983, Dev claimed 75 wickets in 18 Tests, which is still the highest number of wickets taken by an Indian bowler in a single calendar year.
When Kapil Dev retired, he held the record for the highest number of wickets in Test cricket with 434 wickets. This record was later broken by West Indian fast bowler Courtney Walsh. Additionally, Dev still holds the record for the highest number of 5-wicket hauls in an innings by an Indian fast bowler.
When he retired, he was the leading wicket taker of the world with 434 Wickets. Later Courtny Walsh, the West Indian Fast Bowler broke the record.Still the record of highest 5 wickets haul in innings by an Indian Fast Bowler is in Dev’s possession.
The players who are not included in the list of the best Indian fast bowlers.
The readers may be surprised at not seeing the name of Manoj Prabhakar, Karshan Ghavri, Ramanath Desai, Ashish Nehra in the list. Choosing best 10 fast bowlers is not so easier. Before making this list of the best Indian fast bowlers, impact of a bowler in contemporary cricket has been considered along with individual records.
This webpage is outstanding. The site owner’s passion is evident in the excellent content. I’m in awe and anticipate reading more amazing pieces like this one.
I genuinely enjoyed the work you’ve put in here. The outline is refined, your written content stylish, yet you appear to have obtained some apprehension regarding what you wish to deliver thereafter. Assuredly, I will return more frequently, akin to I have almost constantly, provided you maintain this climb.
I truly savored what you’ve accomplished here. The sketch is elegant, your authored material trendy, however, you seem to have developed some trepidation about what you aim to offer next. Certainly, I shall revisit more regularly, just as I have been doing nearly all the time, in case you uphold this ascension.
Thank you ❤️
Stumbling upon this website was such a delightful find. The layout is clean and inviting, making it a pleasure to explore the terrific content. I’m incredibly impressed by the level of effort and passion that clearly goes into maintaining such a valuable online space.
Thank you. ❤️❤️