Ranking India's 5 greatest Test fast bowlers of all time ft. Jasprit Bumrah

Fast bowlers are an integral part of any Test playing XI. Without pacers, it is almost impossible to claim 20 wickets in a Test match, which is mandatory to register a victory in red-ball cricket. Fast bowlers can often dictate the momentum of a Test match by striking early in the contest.

In conditions where the ball moves around or seams off the wicket, high-quality pace bowlers can prove to be lethal. Great fast bowlers also have the ability to make the ball talk and fox opposition batters with their skill irrespective of the nature of the surface. Further, some pacers enjoy the new red cherry, while there are a few who are extremely lethal when the old ball offers reverse swing.

India is known as a land of great spinners. But the country has also been blessed with a number of wonderfully gifted fast bowlers over the years. In this feature, we rank India's five greatest Test fast bowlers of all time.

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#5 Javagal Srinath

Javagal Srinath, who is now an experienced match referee, was the leader of India's pace attack in the 1990s. Srinath played 67 Test matches, claiming 236 wickets at an average of 30.40, with 10 five-fers and one 10-wicket match haul. Given his talent, the Karnataka pacer should have picked up a lot more scalps. Injuries hampered his career to some extent.

Srinath had an excellent record in India, where he claimed 108 wickets in 32 matches at an average of 26.61, with five five-fers. Rather surprisingly, he struggled in Australia and England, where conditions assist fast bowling. Srinath averaged 50-plus from eight Tests Down Under and nearly 40 in three Tests in England. In South Africa, though, he claimed three five-fers in eight Tests.

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#4 Mohammad Shami

Mohammad Shami, who is currently out of action from the red-ball format due to fitness issues, features at No. 4 on the list of India's great Test fast bowlers. The right-arm pacer has played 64 Test matches and has claimed 229 wickets at an average of 27.71. He has six five-fers and 12 four-fers to his name.

Shami is renowned for his incredible seam position, which allows him to bowl some near-unplayable deliveries. He has been effective in both home and away conditions. Of his six five-fers, two have come in Australia and two in South Africa. He famously claimed 5-28 in Johannesburg in January 2018 and 5-44 in Centurion in the Boxing Day Test of 2021.

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#3 Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan is undoubtedly the finest left-arm pacer to represent India in Test cricket. He played 92 matches and claimed 311 wickets at an average of 32.94, with 11 five-fers and one 10-wicket match haul. Zaheer played key roles in a number of Test triumphs for India, picking up big wickets at crucial junctures.

(Bowling stats of some top Indian Test fast bowlers)

The former left-arm pacer starred with 4-59 & 5-75 in the 2007 Nottingham Test against England, which India won by seven wickets. The visitors went on to win the series 1-0, which marked their last Test series triumph in England. Zaheer also claimed eight scalps in the 2010 Mohali Test against Australia, which India won by one wicket. The pacer was especially lethal with the old ball.

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#2 Jasprit Bumrah

Current India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah finds himself at No. 2 on the list of the country's greatest Test fast bowlers. Having made his debut in January 2018, Bumrah swiftly went on to establish himself as India's No. 1 bowler. In 46 Test matches, he has claimed 210 scalps at an average of 19.60, with the aid of 14 five-fers and seven four-fers.

Incredibly, of Bumrah's 14 five-fers, 12 have come in away Tests. In 33 away matches, the right-arm pacer has claimed 163 wickets at an average of 19.73. The 31-year-old has an exceptional record in SENA countries. He has 64 wickets from 12 matches in Australia, 42 from 10 games in England and 38 from eight Tests in South Africa. Bumrah has played two Tests in New Zealand, claiming six wickets.

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#1 Kapil Dev

The legendary Kapil Dev undoubtedly deserves the mantle of India's greatest Test fast bowler ever. His contribution to Indian cricket goes beyond just numbers. At a time when fast bowling was not given much value in India, the Haryana Hurricane came in and changed the game. The rest is history. It would be fair to say that Kapil's success inspired a generation of Indian cricketers to take up fast bowling.

Despite retiring from international cricket in 1994, Kapil remains India's leading Test wicket-taker among fast bowlers. He played 131 Tests and claimed 434 wickets at an average of 29.64, with 23 five-fers and two 10-wicket match hauls. Five of his five-wicket hauls came in Australia, including the iconic performance of 5-28 in the 1981 Melbourne Test, bowling with a hamstring injury.

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Edited by Renin Wilben Albert