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Ravindra Jadeja enters top five: India's top wicket-takers vs South Africa across formats

Harsh Adwani

India's top wicket-takers vs SA {Source: @SanatanPremi02/x.com, @Cric_records45/x.com, @IExpressSports/x.com]India's top wicket-takers vs SA {Source: @SanatanPremi02/x.com, @Cric_records45/x.com, @IExpressSports/x.com]

India and South Africa have always produced great encounters. Whenever the two teams collide, a lot of runs and wickets are expected, irrespective of the formats. More recently, the two have produced some really exciting contests in T20Is and Tests.

Star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, as always, is in the thick of things when these two sides meet. In their latest encounter in a Test in Guwahati, he entered the list of Indians with the most wickets against South Africa across all formats.

Many iconic players have had exceptional careers for India on this list. Let’s have a look at the best performers for India against South Africa.

5. Ravindra Jadeja - 71 wickets

Ravindra Jadeja vs South Africa [Source: @SanatanPremi02/x.com]Ravindra Jadeja vs South Africa [Source: @SanatanPremi02/x.com]

The star Indian all-rounder entered the top five in the second game of the Test series between the two sides. His four-wicket haul helped him overtake veteran Indian pacer Zaheer Khan on the list, who has 67 wickets against the Proteas.

Not just that, he has also become only the fifth Indian to take 50 wickets against South Africa in Test cricket. One of his best performances against the Proteas came in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he returned the figures of 33/5, which helped India restrict them to just 83 runs while chasing 327.

4. Ravichandran Ashwin - 75 wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin vs South Africa [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]Ravichandran Ashwin vs South Africa [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]

Ravichandra Ashwin is always among the wickets, especially when playing in the spin-friendly home conditions. He has five five-wicket hauls against the Proteas, all of which have come at home and in the Test format. He also has the best match figures against South Africa by an Indian.

In the Nagpur Test in 2015, he bowled a masterful spell of 32/5, which restricted the visitors to just 79 runs in the first innings. He followed it up with another high-octane performance in the next innings, returning the figures of 66/7 and helping India win the match by a margin of 124 runs. This is the only time an Indian has taken a 10-wicket haul against South Africa in a match.

3. Javagal Srinath - 92 wickets

Javagal Srinath vs South Africa [Source: @unsubtledesilad/x.com]Javagal Srinath vs South Africa [Source: @unsubtledesilad/x.com]

Javagal Srinath had a great run against South Africa at home and in the away conditions as well. His pace and control allowed him to do well and get some good performances under his belt. His best figures came in the Ahmedabad Test in 1996, where he had taken six wickets to help India register a 64-run win.

Apart from that, he did exceptionally well in South African conditions as well. His best tour was in 1997 when he took 18 wickets in three matches. He was India’s highest wicket-taker in that series and the second-highest overall.

2. Harbhajan Singh - 95 wickets

Harbhajan Singh vs South Africa [Source: @IExpressSports/x.com]Harbhajan Singh vs South Africa [Source: @IExpressSports/x.com]

Harbhajan Singh had some exceptional performances against South Africa in the Test format. Out of the total 95 wickets that he has taken against the Proteas, 60 have come in Tests in just 19 innings.

His best Test bowling performance against South Africa was a seven-wicket haul (7/87) during the drawn Test match in Cape Town in 2011. He also had a notable five-wicket haul (5/123) in Kolkata in 2008, which India went on to win.

1. Anil Kumble - 130 wickets

Anil Kumble vs South Africa [Source: @Cric_records45/x.com]Anil Kumble vs South Africa [Source: @Cric_records45/x.com]

No other Indian player has done as well as Anil Kumble against South Africa. With a gap of 35 wickets to the next best, Kumble comfortably sits at the top of this list. He has 46 wickets against them in ODIs and 84 wickets in the longest format.

Kumble's best bowling performance against South Africa was his 6/53 during the 2nd Test in Johannesburg in 1992. He dismissed key South African batsmen and established himself as a dominant bowler in this innings. This performance marked his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. It is very unlikely that this record will be broken anytime soon.