5 best performances by an Indian bowler at home

The recently concluded Test series between India and South Africa provided yet another solid proof of the dominance of Indian bowlers at home. The spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, in particular, left the visitors’ batting in complete disarray with their exploits.Ashwin led the way by picking up a staggering 31 wickets in four Tests and rightfully bagged the Man of the Series award for his efforts. The Tamil Nadu offspinner's performance was one of the best in a series by an Indian bowler.However, there have been other instances of Indian bowlers picking up heaps of wickets in a series.Here are the 5 best performances with the ball by an Indian player at home:

#5 Kapil Dev against Pakistan, 1979/80

Kapil Dev proved to be a handful for the Pakistani batsmen in 1979/80

MAT	WKTS	AVE	BEST
6	32	17.68	7/56

Kapil Dev is perhaps the finest fast bowler to have played for India and he kept proving it from time to time in his career. He was also one of the most efficient bowlers when it came to utilising home conditions to his advantage.

Among Kapil’s greatest performances in Tests is his 32-wicket series haul against Pakistan in the 1979/80 Test series played in India. The Indian pacer was at his best and bowled some great spells, none better than his 7 for 56 in the 5th Test at the Chepauk.

This remains the best showing by a Indian fast bowler during a series in home conditions till date.

#4 Harbhajan Singh against Australia, 2001

It was a dream series for Harbhajan Singh and India too

MAT	WKTS	AVE	BEST
3	32	17.03	8/84

The 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia saw the birth of a new bowling star for India in the form of Harbhajan Singh. It was one of the best performances ever in a 3-Test series and also among the greatest by an Indian bowler in a home series.

Harbhajan completely bamboozled the Australian batsmen even as India came from behind to execute a 2-1 victory in the series. The highlights of the offie’s performance were his hat-trick in the 2nd Test at Kolkata and a 15-wicket match haul in the final Test at Chennai.

The next best bowler in the series was Glenn McGrath with 17 wickets as compared to Harbhajan Singh’s mind-boggling tally of 32.

#3 Subhash Gupte against New Zealand, 1955/56

The leggie bowled India to victory in a series against New Zealand

MAT	WKTS	AVE	BEST
5	34	19.67	7/128

Indias first great leg-spinner, Subhash Gupte, had quite a successful international career. One of his highlights came during New Zealands tour of India in 1955/56 when he picked up a series-haul of 34 wickets in the 5-match Test series.

Till date, Guptes featremains one of the top performances by an Indian bowler at home and helped the team win the series 2-0. Even though his best innings-haul in the series came in a drawn Test, his best match-haul of 9 for 145 was during an innings victory in the 5^thTest.

Such was the domination of Subhash Gupte in the series that the next highest wicket-taker, Vinoo Mankad, hadjust 12 wickets to show.

#2 Vinoo Mankad against England, 1951/52

Vinoo Mankad proved too much for England batsmen in the 1951/52 series

MAT	WKTS	AVE	BEST
5	34	16.79	8/55

One of India’s best allrounders of all time, Vinoo Mankad, produced a stellar performance in a home series against England in 1951/52. Mankad bowled quite brilliantly throughout the series and played a major part in ensuring that India, who were down 0-1 after 4 Tests, levelled the series in the final Test.

The left-arm spinner’s tally of 34 wickets is the second best for an Indian bowler in a series played at home. Vinoo Mankad was particularly excellent in the last Test of the series played in Madras (now Chennai) where he picked up 8 wickets in the 1st innings and ended up with a match-winning haul of 12 for 108.

#1 BS Chandrasekhar against England, 1972/73

Chandrasekhar demolished the England batting line-up in 1972

MAT	WKTS	AVE	BEST
5	35	18.91	8/79

BS Chandrasekhar is one of the greatest Indian spinners of all time and has bowled India to many a famous victories in the past. Chandrasekhar was an extremely dangerous bowler, particularly when bowling at home and produced some magical performances with the ball.

The touring England side in 1972/73 got a taste of his prowess at home when he picked up 35 wickets in the 5-match Test series between the two teams. Chandrasekhars combination with left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi and off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna fetched India 70 wickets in the series.

But Chandra, as he is fondly called, stood out with his outstanding performance as he helped India clinch the series 2-1. His 8 for 79 in the 1^stTest of the series remained his best career bowling figures.