Top 10 Indian bowlers with most wickets in international cricket

Seven Indian bowlers have taken over 500 wickets in international cricket.

Team India have a rich history of producing some of the greatest batters of all time. Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, and many others have carried the batting legacy in Indian cricket. But Indian bowlers, too, have grabbed headlines plenty of times in the 21st century.

India have produced some highly respected and successful bowlers to international cricket; bowlers who produced match-winning performances both at home and away. This blog is also related to some of the greatest Indian bowlers of all time.

Here we will talk about the top ten wicket-takers in Indian cricket history.

Top 10 Indian bowlers with most wickets in international cricket

10. Ishant Sharma – 434 wickets

Ishant Sharma played for India between 2007 and 2021 and was part of the 2013 Champions Trophy-winning team.

He bowled some amazing spells in his career. He became the spearhead of the Indian test team in the latter half of his career. Ishant took 434 wickets in 199 international matches, which included 105 tests, and took 11 fifers and one ten-wicket match haul.

9. Jasprit Bumrah – 452 wickets

Jasprit Bumrah is arguably the best all-format bowler of his generation. He has established himself as the go-to bowler for Team Indian in every situation, regardless of the format and conditions.

The 31-year-old is already one of the greatest bowlers of all time. Bumrah has played 206 games across formats for India and taken 452* wickets at an exceptional average of 20.50.

8. Mohammed Shami – 462 wickets

Few pacers in world cricket can bowl with as immaculate and upright seam presentation as Mohammed Shami. Shami has been one of India’s finest pacers in the current era and has an amazing record across formats.

Since making his debut in 2013, he has played 197 games (64 tests, 108 ODIs, and 25 T20Is) and taken 462 wickets at an average of 26.10, with 12 fifers.

7. Javagal Srinath – 551 wickets

Javagal Srinath was only the second Indian pacer to pick over 500 international wickets. He was India’s premier pacer in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Srinath represented India in 296 games (67 tests and 229 ODIs) and picked up a total of 551 wickets with 13 fifers and one ten-wicket haul. After his retirement, he became the match referee.

5. Zaheer Khan – 597 wickets

Zaheer Khan was the best left-arm pacer that India had. He played a crucial role in India winning the ODI World Cup 2011 as he was the joint-leading wicket-taker of the tournament.

He played international cricket between 2000 and 2014 and represented India in 92 tests, 200 ODIs, and 17 T20Is. Across formats, he took 597 wickets with 12 fifers and one ten-wicket haul.

6. Ravindra Jadeja – 611 wickets

Ravindra Jadeja is one of the finest all-rounders to represent India at the international level, and certainly a great in test cricket.

In the longest format, he has been India’s match-winner for the last decade or so. Jadeja made his debut in 2009 and has played 83 tests, 204 ODIs, and 74 T20Is so far. The all-rounder has taken a total of 611 wickets across formats, along with scoring over 6000 runs.

4. Kapil Dev – 687 wickets

Kapil Dev remains India’s greatest all-rounder and one of the best captains. He led India to the 1983 ODI World Cup triumph in England.

He was a match-winner with both bat and ball in hand. Kapil played 131 tests and 225 ODIs between 1978 and 1994 and took 687 wickets with 24 fifers. He also scored over 9,000 international runs with nine centuries.

3. Harbhajan Singh – 707 wickets

Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was a key player in India’s line-up for a significant portion of his career. He was part of India’s T20 World Cup 2007 and ODI World Cup 2011 winning teams.

From 1998 to 2016, Harbhajan played 103 tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is, taking a total of 707 wickets with 28 fifers and five ten-wicket match hauls. The former off-spinner is the third-fastest Indian bowler to take 400 test wickets.

2. Ravichandran Ashwin – 765 wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin was one of the best spinners to represent India in international cricket. His numbers in test cricket are simply incredible. Ashwin owns several bowling records and has gone past some of the legends on his way to greatness in test cricket.

Ashwin, who represented India from 2010 to 2024, retired with 765 wickets across formats for India. He took 537 wickets in tests, 156 in ODIs and 72 in T20Is. Moreover, he also scored over 3500 runs in test cricket.

1. Anil Kumble – 953 wickets

Former Indian captain and legendary spinner Anil Kumble has the most wickets for India in international cricket. He has taken the most wickets in tests and ODIs for his country. Kumble played 132 tests and 271 ODIs between 1990 and 2008, snapping 953 wickets, with 37 fifers and 8 ten-wicket hauls.

Kumble didn’t turn the ball as much as his competitions Shane Warner and Muttiah Muralitharan, but eked out wickets with his tight lines and lengths.

(All stats updated till 22nd September, 2024)

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