Discover India’s top 3 wicket-takers in Pink-ball Test matches. The Indian cricket team and its fans are gearing up for the huge Pink Ball Test match in Adelaide that is set to begin on Friday. After over two years, India will play the day and night Test variant. BCCI has been reluctant to hold the Pink Ball test since the surfaces at home don’t hold on for the entirety of the game.
Till now India has played in four day and night Test matches and won all three games at home. Their only loss came during the 2020 tour of Australia where they were bundled out for their lowest-ever score in Test cricket. Despite playing a handful of matches in the Pink ball format, Indian bowlers have done well.
One of the biggest advantages of the Pink Ball test matches is the amount of help it gives to the bowlers. The biggest test for any batter is when he gets to play some top-notch bowling during the final session of play.
Here are the top 3 wicket-takers for India in Pink ball matches
3- Umesh Yadav – 11 wickets in 2 matches
Veteran India pacer Umesh Yadav has played just 2 Pink Ball Test matches and picked 11 wickets. In his first game that came against Bangladesh, Yadav picked 8 wickets during the game in Kolkata. The right-arm fast bowler got 3/29 in the first innings which included the wickets of Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, and Mohammad Mithun. In the second innings, Yadav picked 5/53 to help India win the game. Umesh Yadav picked 3/40 in the first innings of the Adelaide Test which included the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood.
2- Axar Patel – 14 wickets from 2 matches
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel exploded into the Test like a dream and he gave his best performance in front of his home crowd. It was during the third Test in Ahmedabad against England that India played their 3rd Pink Ball test. Axar Patel picked 6/38 in the first innings to bowl out the visitors for 112 and then got 5/32 in the 2nd as England were all out for 81 and India won by 10 wickets. 3 more wickets came during the Bengaluru Test against Sri Lanka to take his tally to 14 wickets.
1- R. Ashwin – 18 wickets from 4 matches
Veteran Indian spinner R Ashwin has picked the most wickets in the Pink Ball test matches. The veteran spinner went wicketless during the Kolkata Test against Bangladesh. This was followed by five wickets during the Adelaide game where Ashwin picked 4/55 in the first innings. During the Ahmedabad test against England, Ashwin picked 7 wickets in the game to make it 12 wickets from 3 matches. His final wickets came in Bengaluru against Sri Lanka with 2/30 in the first innings and 4/55 in the second innings to help India win the game.
Disclaimer: This exclusive news is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and intuition. While reviewing this information, consider the points discussed and form your own conclusions.