Mohammed Shami has established himself as one of India’s most successful fast bowlers in Test cricket. However, despite taking 229 wickets in 64 Tests, the Bengal pacer did not make Cheteshwar Pujara’s list of the top five Indian fast bowlers in the longest format.
Umesh Yadav was another notable omission from Pujara’s list. Umesh played 57 Tests for India and finished with 170 wickets. Known for his pace and ability to trouble batters with the old and new ball, he also has a 10-wicket match haul in Test cricket.
Umesh’s best figures are 6/88 in an innings and 10/133 in a match. His last Test appearance came against Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship final at The Oval in London.
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Pujara Picks His Top Five
Pujara recently featured in a video shared by ESPNcricinfo, where he was asked to name his top five India Test pacers. The former India batter picked Kapil Dev, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma.
Interestingly, two of the five players were not Pujara’s teammates during his 13-year Test career, which began in 2010 and ended in 2023.
Kapil Dev topped the list. The legendary all-rounder remains India’s leading wicket-taker among pace bowlers in Test cricket.
Zaheer Khan was next, followed by Srinath, Bumrah and Ishant.
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Shami Sixth Among India’s Fast Bowlers
Shami is currently sixth among India’s fast bowlers in terms of Test wickets. Since making his Test debut in 2013, he has played a key role in several memorable victories for India.
He has been particularly effective in overseas conditions and has remained one of India’s most reliable fast bowlers across formats.
Zaheer is second among Indian pacers on the Test wicket-takers’ list, while Ishant has 311 wickets in the format. Srinath finished his career with 236 wickets in 67 Tests.
Bumrah, meanwhile, has already taken 234 wickets in just 52 Tests, putting him ahead of Shami despite having played fewer matches.
Pujara Also Names Mohammed Siraj
Although Shami and Umesh did not make Pujara’s top five, Mohammed Siraj did receive recognition from the former India batter.
Pujara included Siraj among his top 10 Indian Test pacers.
Siraj is currently leading India’s pace attack in the ongoing two-Test series against Sri Lanka. He took one wicket in each innings of the first Test in Galle and has already picked up two wickets in the ongoing second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
The Hyderabad pacer has also been India’s leading wicket-taker in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle. He has 144 wickets from 48 Test matches.
With Bumrah, Siraj and other pacers continuing to play key roles for India, the country’s fast-bowling stocks remain strong despite some notable names missing from Pujara’s personal top-five list.