India has always been a land of spinners and has produced legendary bowlers like Bishen Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Shubhash Gupte, BS Chandrashekhar and Anil Kumble, who have won matches for the country. However, against Australia it has been Kumble and Harbhajan Singh who have been the most successful bowlers. As Australia tour India for the Test series form later this month, let’s take a look at India’s most successful spinners against the Aussies.

Also Read: Ashwin, a predator on the prowl

Anil Kumble: The current head coach of the Indian team has been a best spinner of all time. He has most number of wickets and most number of 5-wicket haul against Australia. In 20 matches and 38 innings, Kumble has 111 wickets with 10 five-wicket hauls and 2 10-wicket hauls. His best match figures were 13 wickets for 181 runs and his best innings figures were 8 wickets for 141 runs. In his captaincy, India won the Perth test for the first time in 2008/09 tour to Australia.

Harbhajan Singh: The ‘Turbanator’ created a flutter after his hat trick at Eden Gardens in Kolkata test against Australia in the year 2001. After VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid played their marathon knocks, it was Harbhajan Singh’s hat trick that allowed India to win that Kolkata test after enforcing follow on. Harbhajan has got the most 10-wicket hauls for India against Australia. In 18 matches and 35 innings, Bhajji has picked up 95 wickets. He has 7 5-wicket hauls and 3 10-wicket hauls to his name. His best innings figures were 8 wickets for 84 runs and his best match innings were 15 wickets for 217 runs.

Also Read: Gavaskars, Binnys, Manjekars: Father-son duo who played cricket for India

Ravichandran Ashwin: The bowler and the spinning all-rounder that India has looked upon from his debut is often being criticized for not performing well overseas. His tour performances in Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa were not up to the mark. Against Australia, he has bowled well in home series. He has played 10 matches and 18 innings against the Aussies and has picked up 50 wickets. He has 4 five-wicket hauls and 1 10-wicket haul. His best bowling figures in a match is 12 wickets for 198 and his best bowling figure in an innings is 7 wickets for 103 runs.

Ravindra Jadeja: He is another spinning all-rounder for India who has done well at home but not overseas. Against Australia, Jadeja has played just 4 matches and has picked up 24 wickets. He has 1 five-wicket haul to his name. His best match performance was 7 wickets for 98 runs and best innings performance was 5 wickets for 58 runs.

Amit Mishra: Mishy Bhai is a veteran spinner for India. But his performance was mainly overshadowed by Ashwin and Jadeja. Against the Aussies, he has played 3 matches and 6 innings and he has picked up 14 wickets. He has one five-wicket haul to his name. His best performance in match is 7 wickets for 106 runs and best performance in an innings is 5 wickets for 71 runs.

Murali Karthik: India’s discarded spinner was one of the best spinners before Ashwin and Jadeja come into the Indian team. He complimented Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh well. But his performance was not great to keep him in the team. He played 3 matches against Australia and picked up 13 wickets in all. His best match figures were 7 wickets for 76 runs and best performance in an innings was 4 wickets for 44 runs.

Praygan Ohja: Another discarded spinner from India who wasn’t given many chances to perform. Ohja was a genuine match winner. Ojha has picked up 16 wickets from 4 matches and 8 innings. His figures of 3 wicket for 57 runs was his best in an innings and his best match figures are 6 wickets for 177 runs.