India's top 5 Test wicket-takers of all time

#2 Kapil Dev – 434 wickets

Only three fast bowlers in the history of Test cricket have picked more wickets than Kapil

To a nation that had considered fast bowling as an exotic art, Kapil Dev’s arrival granted succour and ultimately self-respect. Sunil Gavaskar still recalls the glee on the Indian slip fielders’ faces when the ball thudded onto the wicket-keeper’s gloves during the 1978 Faisalabad Test.

Upon beginning his career as a tear-away quick, Kapil gradually perfected the outswinger to become a serious threat with the new ball. Often toiling hard on unresponsive tracks in India, his distribution of wickets between home and away (219-215) stands as a testament to his versatility. When he left the game, the ‘Haryana Hurricane’ did so as the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket.

Overall Career – 434 wickets from 131 Tests at an average of 29.64 and strike-rate of 63.9 with 23 five-wicket hauls and 2 ten-wicket hauls