Simon Harmer wreaked havoc on India at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and was the main act in South Africa’s astounding robbery in November 2025. The cricketer also overtook a number of the great Proteas bowlers when he was promoted to being one of the most successful South Africa bowlers in Indian conditions.
Now, let’s highlight the top five highest wicket-takers among all South Africa bowlers in Tests played in India.
Most Wickets By South Africa Bowlers in India
5. Allan Donald – 17 wickets
The great South African pacer Allan Donald only went to India for one tour and played four Test matches during which he took 17 wickets at a very low bowling average of 16.11, which was the best in any Test playing nation for Donald barring Zimbabwe. He got seven wickets in his first Test in India which was held in November 1996 as he got 4-37 and 3-32 in the Ahmedabad Test.
Allan Donald took his last seven wickets during the 2000 tour of India when South Africa played two Tests and won the series 2-0 with him averaging 19.
4. Makhaya Ntini – 18 wickets
Pace legend from South Africa Makhaya Ntini took 18 Test wickets in India during the period of 2004 to 2008. The pacer bowled over very good batting pitches and still managed to do that with a good average of 27.77 with a very low strike rate of just 53.1.
During the first Test tour of India in November 2004, the player took 8 wickets in a total of two matches which were played in Kanpur and Eden Gardens respectively. Makhaya Ntini, the bowler in question, went on to take 10 wickets in a series of 3 Tests which eventually led South Africa to an emphatic 1-1 draw in a hard-fought series after nearly 4 years of waiting.
3. Simon Harmer – 18 wickets
The alliance of South Africa’s first-class veteran and the crafty off-spinner Simon Harmer has led to the capture of 18 scalp from India in just three matches that he bowled in there. After getting 10 wickets in his first two Tests in India back in November 2015, the Proteas star made it to the country exactly a decade later and came up with a career-defining performance at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Simon Harmer took down India twice in the first Test with two 4-wicket hauls in November 2025, which included mind-blowing figures of 4-21 in the innings that sealed the win, trapping the opponents to a mere 93 runs while the South Africans were defending 124.
2. Morne Morkel – 21 wickets
The previous South African pace bowler and current Indian bowling coach, Morne Morkel, got 21 wickets in India’s playing conditions during his stint between 2008 and 2015. He had an average of 32.28 in Tests for India and took two three-fers in one match at Nagpur during his last tour in December 2015.
Nevertheless, Morne Morkel’s tour of India in 2010 yielded very little return, as the tall fast bowler picked up just four wickets in three innings at a high bowling average of nearly 60 with a strike rate of 93.
1. Dale Steyn – 26 wickets
It was the great South African fast bowler Dale Steyn who took 26 Indian Test wickets over just six matches in the period of three different visits from 2008 to 2015. He not only captured the wickets but also bowled superbly throughout his first two tours in 2008 and 2010, as the fiery 15-wicket series haul in 2008 made the South African team level the series 1-1. In the second match of the same tour, Steyn’s eight-wicket performance gave India no chance and the hosts went down to just 76 in 20 overs at Ahmedabad.
He claimed 10 wickets in Nagpur in February 2010, but his match-winning double spells were mostly overshadowed by Hashim Amla’s incredible 253*. Dale Steyn was able to take part in only one match in South Africa’s four-match tour of India in 2015, which the Proteas lost 3-0.
