India's spin duo, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, made history on Thursday (January 25) by surpassing the wicket tally of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, becoming the most successful Indian spin pair in Test cricket. The remarkable achievement occurred during the first Test against England at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Ashwin and Jadeja claimed three wickets in the first session, surpassing Kumble-Harbhajan's 501-wicket record.
Starting the Hyderabad Test at 500 wickets together, Ashwin and Jadeja equaled the record for the best spin bowling partnership. Ashwin's LBW dismissal of Ben Duckett and Jadeja's removal of Ollie Pope took their partnership to 502 wickets. In the next over, Ashwin dismissed Zak Crawley, reaching a total of 503 wickets in 50 Tests playing together. Kumble and Harbhajan achieved 501 wickets in 54 Tests as a pair.
Ashwin has 276 wickets, and Jadeja has 227 scalps in their partnership. The only other Indian spin pair with over 350 wickets is the legendary duo of BS Chandrashekar and Bishan Singh Bedi, who took 368 wickets in 42 Tests. The list of most wickets by a spin pair is topped by Sri Lankan duo Muttiah Muralitharan and Sanath Jayasuriya, with 667 wickets in 90 Tests.
The impact of Indian spin combinations in the red-ball format is evident, with four Indian partnerships featuring in the top 5 most successful spin bowling pairs. The best overall bowling partnership belongs to England's James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who achieved the feat last year, ending their partnership with 1039 wickets in 138 Tests.
Here is a look at the most wickets by spin pairs in Tests:
- Muttiah Muralitharan & Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) - 667 wickets in 90 Tests
- R Ashwin & Ravindra Jadeja (India) - 504 wickets in 50 Tests
- Anil Kumble & Harbhajan Singh (India) - 501 wickets in 54 Tests
- Bishan Singh Bedi & BS Chandrashekar (India) - 368 wickets in 42 Tests
- BS Chandrashekar & Erapalli Prasanna (India) - 331 wickets in 43 Tests
List of most wickets by bowling pairs in Tests
James Anderson & Stuart Broad (England)
- Country: England
- Matches: 138
- Wickets: 1039
Shane Warne & Glenn McGrath (Australia)
- Country: Australia
- Matches: 104
- Wickets: 1001
Muttiah Muralitharan & Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka)
- Country: Sri Lanka
- Matches: 95
- Wickets: 895
Curtly Ambrose & Courtney Walsh (West Indies)
- Country: West Indies
- Matches: 95
- Wickets: 762
Muttiah Muralitharan & Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)
- Country: Sri Lanka
- Matches: 90
- Wickets: 667
Mitchell Starc & Nathan Lyon (Australia)
- Country: Australia
- Matches: 81
- Wickets: 643
Wasim Akram & Waqar Younis (Pakistan)
- Country: Pakistan
- Matches: 61
- Wickets: 559
Shaun Pollock & Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
- Country: South Africa
- Matches: 93
- Wickets: 547
Trent Boult & Tim Southee (New Zealand)
- Country: New Zealand
- Matches: 65
- Wickets: 541
Makhaya Ntini & Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
- Country: South Africa
- Matches: 93
- Wickets: 538
Dale Steyn & Morne Morkel (South Africa)
- Country: South Africa
- Matches: 62
- Wickets: 522
