India and ODI cricket go hand in hand as they are one of the most successful teams in the format. They have won the World Cup and the Champions Trophy twice, and one of the reasons for their success has to be the performance of their batters over the years.
India has produced some of the best generational batsmen when it comes to ODI, but at the same time, one can’t undermine the bowlers they have produced. Despite being known as the land of batters, Indian bowlers have time and again impressed with their quality and played a key role in many of India’s famous triumphs.
Here we will see the top 10 wicket-takers for India in the ODI format.
Most Wickets for India in ODI
| Player | Innings | Wickets | BBI | Avg | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anil Kumble | 263 | 334 | 6/12 | 30.83 | 2 |
| Javagal Srinath | 227 | 315 | 5/23 | 28.08 | 3 |
| Ajit Agarkar | 188 | 288 | 6/42 | 27.85 | 2 |
| Zaheer Khan | 191 | 269 | 5/42 | 30.11 | 1 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 225 | 265 | 5/31 | 33.47 | 3 |
| Kapil Dev | 221 | 253 | 5/43 | 27.45 | 1 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 188 | 220 | 5/33 | 35.87 | 2 |
| Venkatesh Prasad | 160 | 196 | 5/27 | 32.30 | 1 |
| Mohammed Shami | 99 | 194 | 7/57 | 23.56 | 5 |
| Irfan Pathan | 118 | 173 | 5/27 | 29.72 | 2 |
Key insights from the above stats
15: The number of Indian bowlers who have taken 150 or more wickets in ODI cricket. This number reduces to 7 for Indian bowlers with 200 or more wickets in ODI cricket.
334: Anil Kumble’s tally of wickets in the ODI format and the leg-spinner is the leading wicket-taker for India in ODIs, to go along with his reputation as India’s highest wicket-taker in all formats. His economy rate is 4.29, which is highly commendable for a leg spinner, and he has taken these wickets at an average of 30.83 with 2 five-wicket hauls to his credit. His 6/12 is the second-best bowling figure for India in the 50-over format.
315: The only other Indian player to have taken 300 or more wickets in ODI cricket is the former pacer, Javagal Srinath, who was highly prolific in his days as an ODI cricketer, having taken 3 five-wicket hauls, with 5/23 against Bangladesh back in 1998 being his best figures in an ODI game.
200 & 250: Ajit Agarkar was India’s fastest bowler to take 200 and 250 wickets in ODI cricket, and he had an incredible career for India as a pacer in the format. He took 133 innings and 163 innings, respectively, to achieve this feat.
5: Only 3 bowlers from India have taken 3 or more five-wicket hauls for the country in the ODI format, and they are Srinath, Harbhajan Singh, and Mohammed Shami.
250: India’s first bowler to take 250 or more wickets in the format, and the person who has achieved the feat is none other than the country’s first-ever World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev. The legendary all-rounder boasted an incredible 253 wickets at an average of 27.45 with a great economy rate of 3.71, making him one of India’s best ever in the format.
