From Akash Deep to Chandra, these bowling masterclasses lit up England’s cloudy skies and shook the home team to its core
Winning Tests in England is never easy for subcontinental sides. Conditions are unpredictable, grey skies favour seamers, and Dukes balls do the talking. For India, bowling in England once meant mere survival. But that is no longer the case.
Over the decades, a few Indian bowlers have cemented their place in English cricketing folklore with performances that altered match outcomes and raised the tricolour high on enemy soil. Here are five of the finest match figures by Indian bowlers in England, where they didn’t just take wickets, they changed the course of the game.
It was meant to be Bumrah’s show, but Akash Deep stepped in for Bumrah in his absence and dominated Edgbaston. India posted a colossal 587 in the first innings, with Sybhman Gill’s 269 setting the stage. When it was time to bowl, Akash Deep dismantled England’s middle order with pace and precision.
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In the second innings, chasing 608, England collapsed for 271—and it was Akash’s 6-wicket burst that clinched India’s first-ever Test victory at Birmingham. In his first Test in England, he became the first ever Indian fast bowler to take 10 wickets in a Test in England.
Before Akash Deep, there was Chetan Sharma, scripting magic in 1986. In a tour that saw India dominate, Chetan’s 10-wicket match haul in the 3rd Test at Edgbaston ensured India stayed in the hunt for a clean sweep.
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His second innings spell of 6/58 on a flattening pitch turned heads, showcasing how reverse swing could be harnessed in England. Though the match ended in a draw, Sharma’s effort set the tone for India’s first-ever series win in England.
Bumrah’s 2021 tour began with a statement. On a green Nottingham pitch, he dismantled England with surgical precision. His yorkers, bounce, and pace extracted life from the track, dismissing England for 183 in the first innings.
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India responded with 278, and a target of 209 was in sight. Rain, however, played spoilsport. But Bumrah had already left his mark: five wickets in the second innings, breaking the spine of England’s batting and cementing his reputation as a modern master of away conditions.
If one spell defined Zaheer Khan’s maturity, it was this. Coming into the match after a draw at Lord’s, India needed early breakthroughs. Zaheer delivered both spells with guile, movement, and control.
England collapsed for 198 in the first innings. Then, defending a modest target of 73, England’s 355 in the second innings was not enough to dent India’s confidence, thanks mainly to Zaheer’s 5/75, which cleaned up the tail and set the tone for a historic overseas series win.
No list of legendary bowling feats on English soil is complete without Bhagwath Chandrasekhar’s 1971 Oval masterclass. India was chasing their first-ever Test series win in England, and it all hinged on this match.
England started strongly with 355, but Chandra came alive in the second innings. His 6/38 decimated the hosts, bowling them out for 101. India chased down 173 nervously, winning the Test and securing the series.
