Best Spin Bowling Partnership in Tests: Ashwin-Jadeja close in on Kumble-Harbhajan Record

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Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have created havoc since reuniting for the home Test series against Australia as the pair are now not very far away from surpassing legendary duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh for the tag of best spin bowling partnership in the longest format.

During the late 90s and early 2000s, Kumble-Harbhajan duo formed an incredible partnership for Team India, claiming over 500 wickets bowling together in Tests. Kumble (281 wickets) and Harbhajan (220 wickets), who took 501 wickets in 54 Tests, are currently the best spin bowling pair in Test cricket.

Now, Ashwin and Jadeja, the second best spin bowling pair in the world, have made huge strides recently. After taking a total of 31 wickets in the 2 Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, Ashwin and Jadeja took their tally to 474 wickets in 47 Tests.

Ashwin has 248 wickets and Jadeja has 218 scalps in the partnership. The only other spin pair to take over 350 wickets as partners is also from India, the legendary duo of BS Chandrashekar and Bishan Singh Bedi, who took 368 wickets in 42 Tests.

Best Spin Bowling Partnerships in Tests

Very rarely has a spin partnership had more impact in the red-ball like the Indian spin combinations. Most bowling partnerships has seen either two pacers or a spin-pace bowling combo dominate the longest format as partners.

The best bowling partnership overall belongs to England duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who achieved the feat recently in the Pink Ball Test against New Zealand. The English pair now have 1017 wickets in 134 Tests.

Kumble-Harbhajan, who are eleventh in the overall list, is the best Indian bowling pair in Tests followed by Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan pair, who took 474 wickets playing together in 59 Tests. Zaheer claimed 206 wickets, while Harbhajan took 268 wickets in their partnership.

While they are still sixteenth in the overall list for most successful bowling partnership in Test cricket, Ashwin-Jadeja pair are the third best Indian bowling partnership.

Most Wickets as Bowling Pair in Tests by India

Ashwin and Jadeja also reached personal milestones during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. Ashwin completed 100 wickets against Australians, while Jadeja claimed his 250th wicket in Test cricket.