Five-wicket hauls are a rarity in ODI cricket because of the nature of this format. A bowler can bowl only a maximum of 10 overs in 50-over cricket, and the fact that over 340 different bowlers have taken 5 or more wickets in an innings since the inception of ODIs speaks volumes about the toughness associated with this particular milestone.
This can be considered the bowling equivalent of the batter scoring a century in ODIs, but it is that straightforward to achieve. A bowler needs to have composure, skill, and luck to bowl consistently for 10 overs while also picking wickets.
India is a batter-dominated country, and an Indian bowler getting a five-wicket haul is always a special achievement. So we will be celebrating the top 10 bowlers with the most five-wicket hauls in ODIs.
Most Five-Wicket Hauls for India in ODI
| Player | Innings | Five-Wicket Hauls |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Shami | 100 | 5 |
| Javagal Srinath | 315 | 3 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 265 | 3 |
| Ajit Agarkar | 188 | 2 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 88 | 2 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 69 | 2 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 170 | 2 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 189 | 2 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 98 | 2 |
| Anil Kumble | 263 | 2 |
Key insights from the above stats
31: The number of Indian bowlers to have at least 1 five-wicket haul in their ODI career. There are some surprising names on the list.
17: The number of bowlers from India who have taken 5 or more wickets in an ODI innings twice or more. This number becomes 3 when we talk about Indian bowlers with 3 or more fifers in ODIs.
1: There is only one Indian bowler who has taken 5 five-wicket hauls in the ODI format of the game, and he is Mohamamd Shami. Shami has taken 4 of those in ODI World Cups, making him the most prolific bowler in World Cups in that aspect.
7/57: Best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in the 50-over format, and Mohammed Shami is the proud holder of this record. He achieved that in the 2023 ICC World Cup semi-final clash against New Zealand.
7: The number of Indian bowlers who have taken a fifer in ODI World Cups, with Kapil Dev being the first to achieve this in the 1983 edition. Apart from him and Shami, Robin Singh, Venkatesh Prasad, Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh, and Ravindra Jadeja are the other ones to pick a five-wicket haul in a World Cup game.
33: Kris Srikanth, more known for his batting prowess, has picked up 2 five-wicket hauls in 33 innings. Other Indian part-time bowlers like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly also have the same number of fifers.
5: Among the bowlers listed here, 5 of them are spinners, with 3 of those being wrist spinners, 1 off spinner, and 1 left-arm spinner. Only Harbhajan Singh is the off-break bowler and Ravindra Jadeja is the left-arm spinner here.
