Tests - Best Spin Bowlers In Victories

Top 15 Test Spin Bowlers In Victories

by

Kindly switch to Landscape Mode for better viewing experience

All Test Ratings on the website are from 01/01/1950 onwards (Know Why). They are updated till 2026-02-05. Brief explanation of the ratings is given before each section and at the end (Detailed Explanation). Here are the Top 15 Spin bowlers in victories in Test cricket.

CONTENTS
1. THE CRITERIA
2. QUALIFICATION
3. PROLIFIC
4. CONSISTENT
4.1. Against All Teams
4.2. Against Top Teams
5. ATTACKING
5.1. Against All Teams
5.2. Against Top Teams
6. BEST BOWLING (WKTS)
6.1. Against All Teams
6.2. Against Top Teams
7. VICTORIES RATING
8. BRIEF EXPLANATION
8.1. Dynamic Nature
8.2. Trend Setter (TS)
8.3. Top Teams (TT)
8.4. Abbreviations

THE CRITERIA

The VC Rating is divided into 4 main sections:-

CRITERIA STAT POINTS
Prolific Wickets Taken 300.00
Consistent Average 250.00
Attacking Strike Rate 250.00
Best Bowling Top Bowling Performances 200.00

QUALIFICATION

Min Innings (TT) 7
Min Career Wkts 50

PROLIFIC

The Eras

The time period from 1950 to present is divided into eras for this section. This is because less cricket was played earlier. To make it fair for earlier players they are compared with players of the same period with a slight reduction in points. Know More About Eras.

Era 1 MP before 1976
Era 2 MP between 1975 And 1996
Era 3 MP between 1995 And 2016
Era 4 MP greater than 2015

Criteria: Points For Wickets Taken

RANK ERA 1 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS LR Gibbs WI 1958 1976 1967 60 154 270.00
1 LR Gibbs WI 1958 1976 1967 60 154 270.00
2 R Benaud AUS 1952 1964 1958 46 128 224.42
3 DL Underwood ENG 1966 1982 1974 50 123 215.65
4 BS Chandrasekhar IND 1964 1979 1971.5 28 98 171.82
5 BS Bedi IND 1966 1979 1972.5 34 97 170.06
RANK ERA 2 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS Abdul Qadir PAK 1977 1990 1983.5 41 100 260.00
1 Abdul Qadir PAK 1977 1990 1983.5 41 100 260.00
2 ND Hirwani IND 1988 1996 1992 8 32 83.20
RANK ERA 3 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS SK Warne AUS 1992 2007 1999.5 180 510 300.00
1 SK Warne AUS 1992 2007 1999.5 180 510 300.00
2 M Muralitharan SL 1992 2010 2001 107 438 257.65
3 A Kumble IND 1990 2008 1999 86 288 169.41
4 HMRKB Herath SL 1999 2018 2008.5 75 243 142.94
5 Harbhajan Singh IND 1998 2015 2006.5 84 221 130.00
RANK ERA 4 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS R Ashwin IND 2011 2024 2017.5 121 374 290.00
1 R Ashwin IND 2011 2024 2017.5 121 374 290.00
2 NM Lyon AUS 2011 2025 2018 154 359 278.37
3 RA Jadeja IND 2012 2025 2018.5 100 229 177.57

CONSISTENT

R Ave

Relative Average (R Ave) is a more accurate type of average. Know How It Is Calculated. Briefly it takes into account:-

  • Strength of Opposition.
  • Venues at which a player has played.
  • Time Period in which a bowler has been active

Criteria: Points For Relative Average

Min Qualification For TS
Min Wickets 20
Min Wickets (TT) 16

Against All Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE R AVE RAT
TS ND Hirwani 8 423 32 13.22 16.57 100.00
1 ND Hirwani 8 423 32 13.22 16.57 100.00
2 DL Underwood 50 1868 123 15.19 16.84 98.41
3 M Muralitharan 107 7088 438 16.18 19.17 86.44
4 R Benaud 46 2346 128 18.33 20.00 82.87
5 LR Gibbs 60 2952 154 19.17 20.33 81.54
6 BS Bedi 34 1713 97 17.66 20.73 79.96
7 A Kumble 86 5400 288 18.75 20.92 79.22
8 HMRKB Herath 75 4577 243 18.84 21.48 77.16
9 R Ashwin 121 7105 374 19.00 21.54 76.95
10 SK Warne 180 11461 510 22.47 21.86 75.81
11 BS Chandrasekhar 28 1889 98 19.28 21.97 75.45
12 NM Lyon 154 8682 359 24.18 22.34 74.18
13 RA Jadeja 100 4683 229 20.45 22.98 72.11
14 Harbhajan Singh 84 5031 221 22.76 24.16 68.60
15 Abdul Qadir 41 2349 100 23.49 24.32 68.14

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE R AVE RAT
TS ND Hirwani 7 389 31 12.55 15.47 150.00
1 ND Hirwani 7 389 31 12.55 15.47 150.00
2 M Muralitharan 34 2556 148 17.27 17.20 134.91
3 BS Chandrasekhar 18 1083 66 16.41 17.67 131.33
4 LR Gibbs 36 1723 97 17.76 17.88 129.74
5 A Kumble 40 2537 135 18.79 18.67 124.29
6 DL Underwood 24 887 47 18.87 18.97 122.30
7 BS Bedi 20 1080 60 18.00 19.33 120.03
8 HMRKB Herath 37 2418 132 18.32 19.47 119.19
9 Abdul Qadir 12 717 32 22.41 20.17 115.02
10 NM Lyon 92 5144 217 23.71 20.85 111.30
11 R Ashwin 74 4352 227 19.17 21.01 110.45
12 RA Jadeja 62 3155 155 20.35 21.78 106.54
13 SK Warne 108 7142 306 23.34 21.92 105.85
14 Harbhajan Singh 46 3071 137 22.42 22.44 103.41
15 R Benaud 31 1513 67 22.58 23.82 97.42

ATTACKING

R SR

Relative Strike Rate (R SR) for bowlers is calculated using the same method as R Ave with average being replaced with SR.

Criteria: Points For R SR or Balls/Wkt

Min Qualification For TS
Min Wickets 20
Min Wickets (TT) 16

Against All Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS BLS WKTS SR R SR RAT
TS ND Hirwani 8 1007 32 31.47 34.97 100.00
1 ND Hirwani 8 1007 32 31.47 34.97 100.00
2 BS Chandrasekhar 28 4451 98 45.42 45.26 77.26
3 DL Underwood 50 6384 123 51.90 48.92 71.47
4 A Kumble 86 12812 288 44.49 50.09 69.81
5 SK Warne 180 26132 510 51.24 50.20 69.66
6 M Muralitharan 107 18725 438 42.75 50.46 69.29
7 Abdul Qadir 41 5420 100 54.20 52.52 66.58
8 R Ashwin 121 15810 374 42.27 53.63 65.20
9 R Benaud 46 7398 128 57.80 54.09 64.65
10 NM Lyon 154 17832 359 49.67 54.34 64.35
11 BS Bedi 34 5241 97 54.03 54.39 64.29
12 LR Gibbs 60 9315 154 60.49 54.41 64.27
13 HMRKB Herath 75 10543 243 43.39 54.64 64.00
14 Harbhajan Singh 84 11791 221 53.35 59.57 58.70
15 RA Jadeja 100 11364 229 49.62 63.00 55.51

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS BLS WKTS SR R SR RAT
TS ND Hirwani 7 887 31 28.61 32.34 150.00
1 ND Hirwani 7 887 31 28.61 32.34 150.00
2 BS Chandrasekhar 18 2655 66 40.23 39.44 123.01
3 Abdul Qadir 12 1580 32 49.38 42.89 113.13
4 A Kumble 40 5884 135 43.59 46.19 105.04
5 M Muralitharan 34 6671 148 45.07 46.79 103.69
6 LR Gibbs 36 5350 97 55.15 48.31 100.43
7 BS Bedi 20 3101 60 51.68 50.46 96.14
8 SK Warne 108 15801 306 51.64 50.68 95.73
9 HMRKB Herath 37 5834 132 44.20 52.34 92.69
10 NM Lyon 92 10855 217 50.02 52.40 92.59
11 DL Underwood 24 2807 47 59.72 53.13 91.31
12 R Ashwin 74 10241 227 45.11 55.52 87.38
13 Harbhajan Singh 46 7242 137 52.86 57.12 84.94
14 RA Jadeja 62 7908 155 51.02 61.69 78.64
15 R Benaud 31 4742 67 70.78 63.87 75.96

BEST BOWLING (WKTS)

BBW

In this criteria, we have taken the top 5 bowling performances by Wkts of a bowler. Best Bowling By Wickets (BBW) is simply the total wickets taken in the 5 innings divided by 5.

Criteria: Points For Wkts Taken In Top 5 Inns

Against All Teams

RANK BOWLER 1 2 3 4 5 BBW RAT
TS M Muralitharan 9/51 9/65 8/46 8/70 8/87 8.40 60.00
1 M Muralitharan 9/51 9/65 8/46 8/70 8/87 8.40 60.00
2 HMRKB Herath 9/127 8/63 7/48 7/64 7/89 7.60 54.29
3 A Kumble 10/74 7/59 7/63 6/64 6/67 7.20 51.43
3 SK Warne 8/71 7/23 7/52 7/94 7/165 7.20 51.43
3 Harbhajan Singh 8/84 7/48 7/62 7/87 7/123 7.20 51.43
6 R Ashwin 7/59 7/66 7/71 7/83 7/103 7.00 50.00
7 NM Lyon 8/64 7/94 7/152 6/49 6/60 6.80 48.57
8 LR Gibbs 8/38 7/98 6/29 6/39 6/76 6.60 47.14
9 DL Underwood 7/32 7/50 6/12 6/41 6/45 6.40 45.71
9 Abdul Qadir 9/56 7/142 6/16 5/44 5/74 6.40 45.71
11 BS Chandrasekhar 6/38 6/52 6/52 6/76 6/90 6.00 42.86
11 RA Jadeja 7/42 7/48 6/63 5/21 5/30 6.00 42.86
13 R Benaud 7/72 6/52 6/70 5/43 5/49 5.80 41.43
14 BS Bedi 6/42 6/71 5/27 5/37 5/48 5.40 38.57
14 ND Hirwani 8/61 8/75 6/59 3/43 2/38 5.40 38.57

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER 1 2 3 4 5 BBW RAT
TS M Muralitharan 8/70 8/87 7/84 7/97 6/26 7.20 140.00
1 M Muralitharan 8/70 8/87 7/84 7/97 6/26 7.20 140.00
2 Harbhajan Singh 8/84 7/87 7/123 7/133 6/73 7.00 136.11
2 HMRKB Herath 9/127 7/48 7/64 6/43 6/48 7.00 136.11
4 A Kumble 10/74 7/63 6/72 6/81 5/62 6.80 132.22
5 SK Warne 7/23 7/52 7/94 6/34 6/86 6.60 128.33
5 R Ashwin 7/66 7/103 7/145 6/41 6/55 6.60 128.33
7 NM Lyon 8/64 7/152 6/49 6/65 5/34 6.40 124.44
8 BS Chandrasekhar 6/38 6/52 6/52 6/76 6/90 6.00 116.67
8 RA Jadeja 7/42 7/48 6/63 5/21 5/30 6.00 116.67
10 LR Gibbs 6/29 6/39 6/98 6/108 5/37 5.80 112.78
11 DL Underwood 7/50 6/45 6/66 4/37 4/55 5.40 105.00
11 ND Hirwani 8/61 8/75 6/59 3/43 2/38 5.40 105.00
13 BS Bedi 6/71 5/37 5/63 4/38 4/52 4.80 93.33
14 R Benaud 6/70 5/91 4/15 4/42 4/43 4.60 89.44
15 Abdul Qadir 6/16 5/74 4/39 4/67 3/59 4.40 85.56

VICTORIES RATING

The VICTORIES (VC) Rating is the addition of the points of all the above criteria. The rating is out of 1,000.

RANK BOWLER PRO CON ATT BBW VC RAT
1 M Muralitharan 257.65 221.35 172.98 200.00 851.97
2 SK Warne 300.00 181.66 165.39 179.76 826.81
3 R Ashwin 290.00 187.40 152.58 178.33 808.31
4 LR Gibbs 270.00 211.28 164.70 159.92 805.90
5 NM Lyon 278.37 185.48 156.93 173.02 793.80
6 Abdul Qadir 260.00 183.15 179.70 131.27 754.13
7 DL Underwood 215.65 220.72 162.78 150.71 749.86
8 BS Chandrasekhar 171.82 206.78 200.27 159.52 738.39
9 A Kumble 169.41 203.51 174.85 183.65 731.42
10 ND Hirwani 83.20 250.00 250.00 143.57 726.77
11 HMRKB Herath 142.94 196.35 156.68 190.40 686.38
12 R Benaud 224.42 180.29 140.60 130.87 676.18
13 BS Bedi 170.06 199.99 160.44 131.90 662.39
14 RA Jadeja 177.57 178.65 134.15 159.52 649.89
15 Harbhajan Singh 130.00 172.01 143.63 187.54 633.18

BRIEF EXPLANATION

Dynamic Nature

Most of our ratings are dynamic, and as new matches are played, the rating of earlier bowlers may change if current bowlers set new benchmarks.

Trend Setter (TS)

  1. TS is the player who does the best in a criteria.
  2. The rating of all other players are calculated taking the TS as the benchmark. Example:-
  3. TS Bowling Ave: 25.00; Player X Ave: 30.00; Section Points: 300.00
  4. TS Points: 300.00 (Max)
  5. Player X Points: TS Ave/Ave X 300 = 25.00/30.00 X 300 = 250.00.
  6. Ratings of all sections are calculated similarly with Ave being replaced by the Criteria Stat.
  7. Know All About the Trend Setter
    8. .

Top Teams (TT)

  1. An opposition is counted as a TT considering its Win/Loss (WL) Ratios in last 7 years.
  2. Home, Away, In Asia, Outside Asia and Overall WL Ratio is considered.
  3. The WL Ratio should be more than a certain value overall or in specific condition.

Abbreviations

  1. AVE - Average or Runs/Wkt
  2. BLS - Balls
  3. ER - Economy Rate or Runs/Over
  4. FF, 5WH - Five Fors or 5 Wkt Hauls
  5. FP - First Played by Year
  6. INF - Infinite
  7. INNS - Innings
  8. LP - Last Played by Year
  9. MDNS - Maidens
  10. MP - Middle Played or (FP+LP)/2
  11. NA - Not Applicable
  12. NI - Not In Top
  13. NK - Not Known
  14. NO, * - Not Out
  15. NQ - Not Qualified
  16. OPP - Opposition
  17. OVRS - Overs
  18. SR - Strike Rate or Balls/Wkts
  19. TS - Trend Setter
  20. TT - Top Teams
  21. WKTS - Wickets Taken

Leave a Comment