Top 10 Players: Who Have Taken Most Wickets in ODI For India

The Indian team has always been a strong bowling unit. This is because of the fact that India has produced some of the most talented bowlers in the world. But when it comes to ODI cricket, India was not a prominent unit for their bowling. Initially, Indian bowlers couldn’t bowl well in a match as a unit against strong teams. But since the beginning of 2010 new generation bowlers emerged who can take wickets in any condition. There are a few bowlers who have given nightmares to the batsmen with their outstanding bowling like Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Zaheer Khan, J Srinath, etc. But only two bowlers from India have more than 300 wickets in ODI. Let’s discuss the bowlers with the most wickets for India in ODI format.

Highest Wicket Taker in ODI: List of Top 10 Players

Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble is one of the best bowlers in Indian history and one of the most experienced cricketers in the world. Kumble bowls fast and can create pressure on the batsman with his hostile approach. He played his first ODI against Sri Lanka on September 22, 1990, and then went on to play 263 more innings for India until 2008. Anil Kumble also has played 269 matches as a bowler for India, which is the highest number ever by an Indian bowler. He took wickets in over 50% of his overall innings and has got 3 wickets per game average to date. He has taken more wickets than any other Indian player in ODIs with 334 to his name. He has an average of 30.83 and an economy of 4.29. He has also had two 5-wicket and eight 4-wicket hauls. His best figures were 6/12 against the West Indies.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Best Strike Rate	BBI	Economy	5-wickets	4-wickets
269	263	334	30.83	43	6/12	4.29	2	8

Javagal Srinath

Former Indian paceman Javagal Srinath has played 313 ODIs for his country, with a tally of 315 wickets to his name. He is the only pacer who has played more than 300 ODIs for India in his career of 13 years. Srinath holds the record of having the highest number of 5 wicket-hauls (3) among Indian seamers. He has an average of 28.08 and an economy of 4.44. His best figures were 5/23 against Bangladesh.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Best Strike Rate	BBI	Economy	5-wickets	4-wickets
229	227	315	28.08	37.8	5/23	4.44	3	7

Ajit Agarkar

If you were to ask Indians who they think is the most lethal bowler in ODIs and Tests, Ajit Agarkar would probably top the list. His exceptional out-swing deliveries and ability to catch batsmen off their feet to give them a tough time has been the reason why he has taken over 288 wickets in ODIs. He has the second-best bowling average among Indian bowlers with 27.85, behind only Kapil Dev (27.81). He has taken ten 4-fers, which is a record amongst Indian bowlers, and two 5-wicket hauls. He has an economy of 5.07 and his best figures of 6/42 came against Australia

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Best Strike Rate	BBI	Economy	5-wickets	4-wickets
191	188	288	27.85	32.9	6/42	5.07	2	10

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan left one of his greatest signatures on the history of Indian cricket. He had all the qualities that a cricketer needs to perform at the top level. He was a great bowler and an excellent fielder. His bowling had a lot of reverse swing and he switched to relying solely on it under pressure. The unparalleled bowling action and the incredible control over his speed helped Zaheer become one of the most successful ODI bowlers. He was part of the Indian team that won both World Cups in 2012 and 2013 by being the highest wicket-taker in both tournaments. The ex-Indian left-arm seamer picked up 269 wickets in ODIs for India, which makes him the 4th highest wicket-taker.  He has had seven 5-wicket hauls throughout his career with a bowling average of 30.11. His best bowling figure of 5/42 came against Sri Lanka.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Best Strike Rate	BBI	Economy	5-wickets	4-wickets
269	263	334	30.83	43	6/12	4.29	2	8

Harbhajan Singh

Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has grabbed the 5th most number of wickets (265) in ODIs for India. Harbhajan had a long career of 17 years (1998-2017). He was also a part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning team. His economy in the 50-over format was praiseworthy (4.30). He has an average of 33.47 and has taken three 5-wicket hauls. His best bowling figure of 5/31 came against England. 

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Best Strike Rate	BBI	Economy	5-wickets	4-wickets
269	263	334	30.83	43	6/12	4.29	2	8

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Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev is the sixth-most successful captain as well as the sixth highest wicket taker in ODI for India. He is one of the best all-rounders to ever play cricket and has been on the list of the top 10 wicket-takers for India in ODIs. Kapil used to bowl unplayable out-swinging deliveries, taking 6 wickets per match and scoring 375 runs per match. He also has the best bowling average (27.45) among the top 10 highest wicket-takers in ODI cricket. Kapil holds a record of having played more matches than any other Indian cricketer, with 1008 matches under his belt as of today! He has had three 5-wicket hauls in his career. His 253 wickets put him in sixth place on the list of most wickets in ODI by an Indian.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Best Strike Rate	BBI	Economy	5-wickets	4-wickets
269	263	334	30.83	43	6/12	4.29	2	8

Venkatesh Prasad

While Prasad’s bowling career was short-lived (he retired in 2001), it was far from unremarkable. He was one of India’s most successful ODI bowlers during the late 1990s, with an average economy rate of 4.47 and a strike rate of 32.20. He had the seventh most wickets in ODI (196). His record is even more impressive when you consider he played only eight years, which is more than three times as many games as most international players play in their entire careers. He had the most wickets in international cricket in the least amount of time played amongst Indians.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Best Strike Rate	BBI	Economy	5-wickets	4-wickets
269	263	334	30.83	43	6/12	4.29	2	8

Ravindra Jadeja

It’s rare to get a player like Ravindra Jadeja. He’s not only a great all-rounder, but he’s also an excellent fielder and batsman. Jadeja has been playing international cricket since 2009, and he’s been impressive in every category. So far, Jadeja has taken 188 wickets in ODIs, which is the eighth most wickets in ODI amongst Indians. He’s also scored 1954 runs for India, with an average of 36.18.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Best Strike Rate	BBI	Economy	5-wickets	4-wickets
269	263	334	30.83	43	6/12	4.29	2	8

Jadeja was awarded the Golden Ball award in 2013 for being one of the best bowlers in the world at the time. He has had seven 4-fers throughout his career as well. He has an economy of 4.92 and his best figures of 5/36 came against the West Indies. Jadeja is the 8th highest wicket taker in ODI for India.

Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan is known as the fastest Indian to take 100 ODI wickets (59 matches). His record was broken by Mohammad Shami, who took his wicket tally in just 56 matches.

He was also known for swinging the ball in both ways: right-handed and left-handed, which made him a top wicket taker in ODI. He played 9 years of ODIs and retired after 2 years because of an injury. He has an average of 29.72 and an economy of 5.26. His most wickets in ODI of 5/27 came against Sri Lanka. With 173 wickets to his name, Irfan Pathan was the ninth highest wicket taker in ODI.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Best Strike Rate	BBI	Economy	5-wickets	4-wickets
269	263	334	30.83	43	6/12	4.29	2	8

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Manoj Prabhakar

Manoj Prabhakar, the Indian all-rounder was an excellent bowler in his 13 years (1984-1996) of ODI career. His 1858 runs and 157 wickets in ODIs are proof of his ability to swing the ball from one end to another. He had two 5-wicket hauls and four 4-wicket hauls in total in ODIs.

His most wickets in ODI match came against New Zealand which was also his best figure (5/33). He has the 10th most wickets in international cricket in ODIs amongst Indians.

Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	Best Strike Rate	BBI	Economy	5-wickets	4-wickets
269	263	334	30.83	43	6/12	4.29	2	8

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Conclusion

To conclude, the most wickets in ODI record are held by Anil Kumble, a record that will not be broken for a long while. There are no active cricketers on the highest wicket takers in ODI list which is a good sign for Kumble. It takes years of dedication, patience, hard work, and most important of all, consistency to break such an outstanding record. Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are some of the Indian bowlers who are capable of breaking Kumble’s record and getting the most wickets in international cricket.