Indian Wicket-Takers The introduction of day-night test matches helped bring back some interest in test cricket.
What makes it more exciting is the use of a pink ball instead of the usual red one. This has created new challenges for both bowlers and batters, which are different from traditional red-ball cricket.
India played their first day-night test against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in November 2019. They have played a few more matches since and have had a good record.
At home, India has dominated pink-ball tests, winning all three matches so far. Much of the credit goes to the bowlers, who have performed excellently.
This article will focus on the top five wicket-takers for India in day-night test matches.
Here are the top five Indian bowlers with the most wickets in day-night test matches:
5. Ishant Sharma – 10 Wickets
Ishant Sharma has taken the second-most test wickets among fast bowlers for India. He was also the first Indian bowler to take five wickets in a pink-ball test.
Ishant played two day-night tests – against Bangladesh and England. He took ten wickets in those matches, with his best performance being 5/22 against Bangladesh.
4. Jasprit Bumrah – 10 Wickets
India’s top fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, has played three day-night test matches so far. He has taken 10 wickets in those matches, with an average of 14.50.
He was outstanding against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, taking eight wickets in the match, with his best performance being 5/24.
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3. Umesh Yadav – 11 Wickets
Umesh Yadav was one of the most underrated test bowlers of his time. He often had strong performances in home conditions.
Umesh played two day-night test matches, one against Australia and the other against Bangladesh. In those matches, he took 11 wickets at an average of 15.54, with his best performance being 5/53 against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens.
2. Axar Patel – 14 Wickets
Axar Patel has played in two day-night tests – one against England in Ahmedabad and another against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. He was named Man of the Match in the Ahmedabad test after taking down the English batting line-up twice in one game.
In the 2021 pink-ball test against England, he took 6/38 and 5/32, helping India win by 10 wickets. Against Sri Lanka, he took three wickets.
In total, he has taken 14 wickets in two matches at an average of just 9.14, with two five-wicket hauls. He is the only Indian bowler with ten or more wickets in a day-night test.
1. Ravichandran Ashwin – 18 Wickets
Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has taken the most wickets for India in day-night test matches. He has played four pink-ball tests and taken 18 wickets with an average of 13.83.
Although he hasn’t taken a five-wicket haul in day-night tests, he has taken three four-wicket hauls, one each against England, Australia, and Sri Lanka.
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