Cricket, as we all know, is a batsman’s game, and rightly so, scoring runs makes the game a beautiful spectacle, and that is what makes people come in huge numbers to watch the game. This is especially true in Indian cricket, which historically has seen many legendary batters, and the craze for them among the public is pretty huge.
But at the same time, we have to it that it is the bowlers who make the game even more interesting than it already is. There are moments when the bowlers take centre stage, weaving their magic and leaving an indelible mark on the game.
In this article, we will take a closer look at some of the most exciting and memorable ODI bowling performances for India, where bowlers showed their skills and bamboozled the opposition.
Best Bowling Figures for India in ODIs
| Player | Bowling Figures | Opposition | Venue | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Shami | 7/57 | New Zealand | Mumbai | 15 Nov 2023 | Won |
| Stuart Binny | 6/4 | Bangladesh | Mirpur | 17 Jun 2014 | Won |
| Anil Kumble | 6/12 | West Indies | Eden Gardens | 27 Nov 1993 | Won |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 6/19 | England | The Oval | 12 Jul 2022 | Won |
| Mohammad Siraj | 6/21 | Sri Lanka | Colombo | 17 Sep 2023 | Won |
| Ashish Nehra | 6/23 | England | Durban | 26 Feb 2003 | Won |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 6/25 | England | Nottingham | 12 Jul 2018 | Won |
| Murali Kartik | 6/27 | Australia | Wankhede | 17 Oct 2007 | Won |
| Ajit Agarkar | 6/42 | Australia | Melbourne | 09 Jan 2004 | Lost |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 6/42 | Australia | Melbourne | 18 Jan 2019 | Won |
Key insights from the above stats
10: More than 10 times, an Indian bowler has taken a six-wicket haul in ODI cricket. There are 11 different players who have achieved the feat, and the player missing from this list is Sreesanth, who picked 6/55 against England at Indore in 2006.
50: There are close to 50 instances where an Indian bowler has taken a five-wicket haul in ODI cricket, and this includes the above list.
1: The only player who has taken a six-wicket haul twice for India in ODI cricket is the left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra, who in a 2005 ODI game against Sri Lanka picked 6/59 at Colombo.
7/57: Mohammed Shami ed the best bowling figure for India in ODIs as he picked up 7 wickets for 57 runs against New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup. This is also the best bowling performance by an Indian bowler in the ODI World Cup.
6/23: Speaking of Ashish Nehra, the left-arm seamer has the second-best ODI figures for an Indian bowler in ODI World Cups and the 5th best overall for India. In a crucial fixture, India could manage only 250 while batting first, and it needed something special from Indian bowlers to defend a mediocre total. And it was Nehra who rose to the occasion, picking up 4 of the top 6 English batters’ wickets and eventually ending with splendid figures of 6/23. India won the contest by 82 runs in the end.
6/4: It is the second-best bowling figure ed by an Indian bowler in ODIs, and the holder of this record is rather surprising. It is medium pacer Stuart Binny who took it in a bilateral game against Bangladesh in Mirpur back in 2014. India had only 105 runs on the board on a tricky surface, and the unlikely defence of the target was largely possible due to a memorable once-in-a-lifetime spell by Binny, as he picked up 6 wickets in just 5 overs.
