Over recent years, Team India has transformed into a seriously mighty fast-bowling group. Key Test tours in England, Australia, and South Africa have contributed to honing this skill.
In home conditions, India’s fast bowlers usually play secondary roles in red-ball games. This longstanding issue has hampered the growth of pace capabilities in the past.
Yet, lately, the BCCI and team leaders have stressed the importance of fast bowlers in domestic cricket, which in turn boosts their presence internationally. The rise of several fantastic players has also been beneficial.
Here, we examine three instances in which Men in Blue fast bowlers claimed all 20 wickets in a Test match.
3. India vs South Africa, 2nd Test, Cape Town, 2024
The recent Test match between India and South Africa made headlines. Indian spinner Ravindra Jadeja played, but no need for him to bowl. The fast bowlers did all the work.
Mohammed Siraj took six wickets first. Two fast bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar, split another two wickets between them. In the second innings, Bumrah got six wickets alone. Siraj and Mukesh grabbed three together. Prasidh Krishna earned one wicket.
The guest team won. After only five sessions, they beat the home team by seven wickets.
2. India vs England, 1st Test, Nottingham, 2021
In a 2021 test game between India and England, where Jadeja was the only spinner, it concluded with no winner. With Bumrah leading the bowling for the visiting team, Joe Root stood out in both rounds.
In the opening innings, Bumrah scored four outs. Shami, Siraj, and Shardul Thakur all contributed too. Bumrah improved in the following match with five outs. His team supported him again. No matter, Jadeja threw 16 overs but didn’t score.
India was 52/1 in the final part of the game, going for a manageable 209. Yet, rain stopped the game.
1. India vs South Africa, 3rd Test, Johannesburg, 2018
South Africa was the scene when the Indian fast bowlers made history. It was there they bagged all 20 wickets in a Test match. This occurred in Johannesburg in 2018 without a sole spinner on the Indian team.
Bumrah shone the brightest. He snagged five wickets in round one. Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Ishant Sharma had his back. Only Hardik Pandya didn’t score a wicket in that game.
In the second innings, it was Shami’s turn, and the seasoned bowler claimed five of his own. Ishant, Bhuvneshwar, and Bumrah all contributed as Hardik once more received little recognition for his hard work.
Men in Blue easily won by 63 runs. Bhuvneshwar played superbly all-around – he took 4 wickets and scored 63 runs – earning him the Player of the Match. Nevertheless, they faced a 2-1 series loss.
