Spin it to win it
Tests where spinners took the most wickets
Siddarth Ravindran
07-Nov-2015
Each of India's three tweakers played their part in Mohali • AFP
37 - New Zealand break new ground
India v New Zealand, Nagpur, 1969
This was one of New Zealand's only two Test wins in India, and it came on a proper turner when the home side's spin line-up was Erapalli Prasanna, Bishan Bedi and S Venkataraghavan. New Zealand's spinners didn't have as lofty a reputation, but some calculated batting helped the visitors reach 319 and gave the bowlers some runs to play with. Left-arm spinner Hedley Howarth then produced the stand-out performance of his career, part-timer Mark Burgess took four of his career's six wickets and offspinner Vic Pollard chipped in with five strikes as New Zealand got their first Test win in the subcontinent.
This was one of New Zealand's only two Test wins in India, and it came on a proper turner when the home side's spin line-up was Erapalli Prasanna, Bishan Bedi and S Venkataraghavan. New Zealand's spinners didn't have as lofty a reputation, but some calculated batting helped the visitors reach 319 and gave the bowlers some runs to play with. Left-arm spinner Hedley Howarth then produced the stand-out performance of his career, part-timer Mark Burgess took four of his career's six wickets and offspinner Vic Pollard chipped in with five strikes as New Zealand got their first Test win in the subcontinent.
35 - No answer to Benaud
India v Australia, Calcutta, 1956
India have traditionally depended on their slower bowlers, but this Eden Gardens track provided so much help to spinners that their lone medium-pacer Gulbarai Ramchand bowled only four overs across two innings. India's original spin trio - offie Ghulam Ahmed, left-arm orthodox Vinoo Mankad and leggie Subhash Gupte - bowled out Australia for less than 200 in both innings, but that was still not enough as the great Richie Benaud ran through India's batting twice to deliver a 94-run victory.
India have traditionally depended on their slower bowlers, but this Eden Gardens track provided so much help to spinners that their lone medium-pacer Gulbarai Ramchand bowled only four overs across two innings. India's original spin trio - offie Ghulam Ahmed, left-arm orthodox Vinoo Mankad and leggie Subhash Gupte - bowled out Australia for less than 200 in both innings, but that was still not enough as the great Richie Benaud ran through India's batting twice to deliver a 94-run victory.
35 - Sunny's last stand
India v Pakistan, Bangalore, 1987
There were three all-time great quick bowlers in the game - Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Kapil Dev - but they could only prise out five wickets on a minefield in Bangalore. In the series decider, the move to bring in offspinner Tauseef Ahmed for an out-of-form Abdul Qadir proved the decisive one. Tauseef took nine, as did Iqbal Qasim, and though Sunil Gavaskar signed off from Test cricket with a masterful fourth-innings 96 (next highest score 26), Pakistan closed out a narrow victory.
There were three all-time great quick bowlers in the game - Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Kapil Dev - but they could only prise out five wickets on a minefield in Bangalore. In the series decider, the move to bring in offspinner Tauseef Ahmed for an out-of-form Abdul Qadir proved the decisive one. Tauseef took nine, as did Iqbal Qasim, and though Sunil Gavaskar signed off from Test cricket with a masterful fourth-innings 96 (next highest score 26), Pakistan closed out a narrow victory.
34 - Jadeja's back in business
India v South Africa, Mohali, 2015
In a match that didn't even reach stumps on the third day, Ravindra Jadeja made a triumphant comeback to Test cricket, taking eight wickets and scoring an important 38 in the first innings to take the Man-of-the-Match award. He was one of India's three-pronged spin attack, each of which played a part - R Ashwin continued to be unplayable at home with eight scalps in the match, and Amit Mishra had the world's most feared batsman, AB de Villiers, bowled twice.
In a match that didn't even reach stumps on the third day, Ravindra Jadeja made a triumphant comeback to Test cricket, taking eight wickets and scoring an important 38 in the first innings to take the Man-of-the-Match award. He was one of India's three-pronged spin attack, each of which played a part - R Ashwin continued to be unplayable at home with eight scalps in the match, and Amit Mishra had the world's most feared batsman, AB de Villiers, bowled twice.
33 - Those two little pals of mine
England v West Indies, Old Trafford, 1950
Test debuts for West Indies' greatest spin pair - Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine - as Lancashire's decision to reduce watering the pitch led to a surface that was turning big. Valentine began brilliantly, taking the first eight wickets to fall in the game, but Godrey Evans and Trevor Bailey pushed England past 300. It was another debutant spinner, Bob Berry, whose performance made the difference, as he wrecked West Indies in the first innings to set up England's only Test win of the summer. The next Test at Lord's was where Ramdhin and Valentine got their famous nickname, and it also proved to be Berry's final Test.
Test debuts for West Indies' greatest spin pair - Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine - as Lancashire's decision to reduce watering the pitch led to a surface that was turning big. Valentine began brilliantly, taking the first eight wickets to fall in the game, but Godrey Evans and Trevor Bailey pushed England past 300. It was another debutant spinner, Bob Berry, whose performance made the difference, as he wrecked West Indies in the first innings to set up England's only Test win of the summer. The next Test at Lord's was where Ramdhin and Valentine got their famous nickname, and it also proved to be Berry's final Test.
Siddarth Ravindran is an assistant editor (social media) at ESPNcricinfo