India's Record: Highest Wickets by an Indian Bowler in a Test Series

Updated: October 3, 2025 · By: Cricket Insights

Test cricket has produced some of the finest bowling displays, and India — blessed with a long lineage of world-class spinners and pace bowlers — is no exception. The record for the most wickets by an Indian in a single Test series is held by B. S. Chandrasekhar, who captured 35 wickets against England during the 1972–73 home series. This article explores that performance, lists other top Indian series performances, provides match-by-match highlights, and embeds primary sources and video for deeper study.

Quick facts

• Record holder: B. S. Chandrasekhar
• Wickets: 35
• Series: England in India, 1972–73 (5 Tests)
• Why it matters: Outstanding match-impact across a full five-Test series; part of India’s famed spin quartet era.

Match-by-match highlights (1972–73 series)

Overview

Chandrasekhar’s spin and attacking bowling across five Tests produced regular breakthroughs — his best figures in the series included an 8/79 match performance. The series remains one of the classic examples of home-track spin domination.

Why 35 wickets stand out

Taking 35 wickets in five Tests requires both longevity and consistency — wickets in every innings, the ability to bowl long spells, and exploit helpful pitches. This total remains the highest by an Indian bowler in a Test series as of this article.

Other top Indian series bowling performances

1. B. S. Chandrasekhar — 35 wickets (England in India, 1972–73)
2. Vinoo Mankad — 34 wickets (England in India, 1951–52)
3. Subhash Gupte — 34 wickets (New Zealand in India, 1955–56)
4. Harbhajan Singh — 32 wickets (Australia in India, 2000–01 — 3 Tests)
5. Ravichandran Ashwin — 32 wickets (England in India, 2020–21 — 4 Tests)

Embedded video & primary sources

Below is archival footage and a short documentary clip from the 1972–73 England tour of India. Use this to see match moments, wickets and period commentary.

References & further reading

Suggested reading and stats pages for verification, scorecards and deep-dive analysis (place these links on your blog or source list):

• ESPNcricinfo — Series bowling records (England in India, 1972–73)
• India Today — Roundups and modern context
• Wikipedia — Tour summary (1972–73)

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Downloadable scorecard snippets

To include match scorecards in your article, grab the detailed scorecards from ESPNcricinfo and host screenshots or tables locally to avoid hotlinking.

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