Top 5 Performances By Indian Bowlers In Tests In South Africa

India and South Africa are set to clash in the three-match Test series with the first match starting this Sunday at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Indian team has never won a Test series in South Africa and the upcoming series is their eighth tour to the Rainbow nation. Team India might have failed to win a series in South Africa but there were many memorable performances by the touring side against the Proteas. From S Sreesanth's masterclass in 2006 to Jasprit Bumrah's emergence in Test cricket in 2018, India had witnessed some great bowling performances in South Africa.

Ahead of India's much-anticipated eighth tour to South Africa, let's take a look at the top 5 performances by Indian bowlers:

Sreesanth- 5/40 & 3/59 Johannesburg, 2006

No one can forget S Sreesanth's brilliance in 2006 when India registered their maiden Test victory in South Africa. The Indian team led by Rahul Dravid had defeated South Africa by 123 runs in the first match of the series at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. After scoring 249 runs in the first innings, the visitors bundled out the Proteas for 84 runs thanks to a top-class bowling performance by Sreesanth who picked 5 wickets in the first innings followed by three wickets in the second.

Jasprit Bumrah- 5/54 & 2/57 Johannesburg, 2018

Even after a good all-round display on the field, India lost the first two Tests of the three-match series. This was India's first Test series loss after the 2014/15 Australia tour. However, India managed to win the final game of the series. Jasprit Bumrah who was playing his first Test series had picked 7 wickets in the Test that included a five-wicket haul in the first innings.

This was Bumrah's maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket and since then he has played 24 Test matches and picked up 101 wickets. The pacer will also spearhead India's bowling attack in the upcoming series.

Harbhajan Singh- 4/10 & 2/70 Durban, 2010

In the 2010 tour to South Africa, India spinner Harbhajan Singh was at his best. The off-spinner picked 4 wickets by giving away just 10 runs in the first innings of the second Test match of the three-match series. South Africa were bowled out for 131 runs in the first innings and they scored just 215 runs in the second innings in their chase of 302. India won the Test match by 87 runs and this was their second win in South Africa. Harbhajan also picked two wickets in the second innings and all his wickets came at crucial times. 

Harbhajan Singh also has the best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in South Africa when he returned with the figures of 7/120 in the first innings of the third Test of the same series.

Anil Kumble- 2/60 & 6/53 Johannesburg, 1992

This was India's first Test tour to South Africa and the first Test ended in a draw. The second Test too ended in a draw but Anil Kumble showed some of his brilliance with the ball on a pitch that was conducive for fast bowling. Kumble had picked six wickets in the second innings and also two in the first.

This was also the first Test series for South Africa at home after ICC lifted the ban on them.

Javagal Srinath- 6/76 & 2/28 Port Elizabeth, 2001

After losing the series opener in Bloemfontein, the India team managed to save the second Test of the series in Port Elizabeth. Herschelle Gibbs scored 196 runs in the second Test but that match is also remembered for India's Javagal Srinath's magical spell of 6/76 that kept India's hope alive to draw the series. Srinath also picked two wickets in the second innings but the match ended in a draw.

Topics mentioned in this article

South Africa Cricket Team India Cricket Team Jasprit Bumrah Sreesanth Anil Kumble Harbhajan Singh Javagal Srinath South Africa vs India 2021/22 Cricket