Kathmandu— India is preparing to face Sri Lanka in a bilateral Test series beginning August 15 in Galle, with the Shubman Gill-led squad aiming for a 2-0 series sweep. As the team prepares for the upcoming matches, historical records identify the top five Indian bowlers who have been most successful in taking wickets against Sri Lanka in the Test format.

Legendary Spin Dominance

Anil Kumble remains the most successful Indian bowler against Sri Lanka, having claimed 74 wickets. The former India captain concluded his illustrious Test career with a total of 619 wickets across 132 matches.

Ravichandran Ashwin follows Kumble on the list with 62 wickets taken in 11 Test matches. Ashwin maintains an average of 21.93 and a strike rate of 43, having recorded three five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul against the Sri Lankan side.

Historical Wicket Takers

Harbhajan Singh holds the third position with 53 wickets against Sri Lanka. The former Indian off-spinner recorded an average of 39 and a strike rate of 75, including two instances of taking ten wickets in a single match.

Former World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev ranks fourth, having taken 45 wickets in 14 Test matches between 1982 and 1994. Dev recorded one five-wicket haul during his encounters with Sri Lanka.

Top Five Completion

Ishant Sharma rounds out the top five most successful Indian bowlers against Sri Lanka. Sharma has claimed 36 wickets in 12 Test matches against the opposition, including one five-wicket haul.

The upcoming series in Galle marks the next chapter for the Indian bowling lineup as they seek to build on these historical successes.

(With inputs from ANI)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.