Prolific does not seems the right word to describe India’s performance in 2017. Last year, Indian skipper and his squad seemed invincible with their consecutive nine Test series win. And if Virat Kohli’s boys will manage to defeat South Africa in their backyard, the Indian side will hold the records of 10 consecutive series win and they will become the first to win a Test series against Proteas on their home soil. The Indian team is currently world number one in the ICC Test ranking and they are high on confidence with their win over Islanders in the recently concluded series.

Even though in 2017 Virat Kohli shattered many records as a batsman as well as a captain, yet India’s South Africa tour is considered toughest for this team. Even the stats favour Poteas in the upcoming series, as none of the Indian team has won any series against Africa at their home.

Ahead of the three-match Test series, here is our pick for the top 5 Indian bowling performances:

1. Zaheer Khan (4/88, Johannesburg, 2013)

Who can forget Zaheer Khan’s 4/88 at Johannesburg in 2013? During India’s South Africa tour for two Test match series in 2013, Zaheer wrote history in the first Test by taking four wickets for 88 in the first inning of the match.

In the match, India was rattled at the score of 280 runs. Other than ‘run machine’ Virat Kohli no other player had crossed the 50 mark in that match. India needed an exceptionally good bowling performance for stopping Africa and that’s exactly what the left-arm pacer did.

2. Ravindra Jadeja (6/138, Durban, 2013)

Ravindra Jadeja’s stupendous performance came in the second Test of the two-match series during India’s tour to South Africa in 2013. Even though India lost the match by 10 wickets, yet everyone praised Ravindra Jadeja’s spell in which he took six wickets for 138 runs. In the first inning, Jadeja sent Alviro Petersen (62), Graeme Smith (47), Jacques Kallis (115) and AB de Villiers (74) back to pavilion. Though the Proteas scored 500 runs, had it not been for Jadeja, they might have scored more.

3- Ravichandran Ashwin (5/32 and 7/66) (Nagpur, 2015)

Who can forget South Africa’s India tour when India beat the visitors 3-0? In the third Test match, Ashwin continue showing his excellence and took five wickets for 32 runs in the first inning and seven wickets after giving 66 runs in the second inning.

4- Ravichandran Ashwin (8/90) and Ravindra Jadeja (8/76) (Mohali, 2015)

In 2015 during South Africa’s India tour, India were all set to return the favour to South Africa after a series loss in rainbow nation in 2013. In the first Test match of the four match series, the spectators witnessed some brilliant bowling spells. But Ravichandran Ashwin with eight wickets for 90 runs and Ravindra Jadeja with eight wickets for 76 runs stole the show with their extraordinary bowling skills.

5. Ravindra Jadeja (5/30 and 2/26), (Delhi, 2015)

In the last Test match, Proteas were bowled out for 143 runs and India won the Test match by 337 runs and the series by 3-0. In the Delhi Test match, Ravindra Jadeja was the star bowler of the day, as he took wickets in regular intervals.