Top five wicket takers for India in ODI World Cups

The new edition of the ODI World Cup is right around the corner in just two weeks' time. Talking about the teams, England will be the defending champions, having won their maiden title in 2019. Apart from this, Australia has won the title in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015. India (1983 and 2011) and West Indies (1975 and 1979) have won it twice. Teams such as Pakistan (1992) and Sri Lanka (1996) have won it one time each.

Meanwhile, apart from winning the two titles, the Men In Blue have played semis in 1987, 1996, 2015, and 2019, and a final in 2003. In the showpiece event, the Asian side tends to do well. Over the years, there have been some great performers for the team.In this listicle, we will discuss the top five highest wicket-takers for India in World Cups:

Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Shamin ODI World Cup (Image Credit: Twitter)

Top five wicket-takers for India in ODI World Cup

Kapil Dev (source-Twitter)

5. Kapil Dev

The 1983 World Cup-winning skipper played four tournaments between 1979 and 1992. In his 13 years-long WC career, he played 26 games and picked 25 wickets averaging 31.85 with the best figures of 5/31.   

Mohammed Shami (Source: Twitter)

4. Mohammed Shami

The right-arm pacer made his World Cup debut in 2015 and will play his third in the upcoming 2023 edition. In both tournaments in 2015 and 2019, he had a dream run while playing 11 games. Shami has taken 31 wickets averaging 15.70 including the best figures of 5/69.   

Anil Kumble (Source: Twitter)

3. Anil Kumble

The former India test skipper made his World Cup debut in 1996, the tournament was played in Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan. From 96 to 2007, he played four editions. In these editions, he played 18 games and has 31 wickets, equal to Mohammed Shami.   

Javagal Srinath (Image Credit: Twitter)

2. Javagal Srinath

Currently working as a match referee, Srinath made his World Cup debut alongside Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar in 1992. Meanwhile, from 92 to 2003, he played 34 games and has 44 wickets to his name averaging 27.81 with the best figures of 4/30. After the 2003 final, he retired from the game as he had taken his retirement back for the tournament.   

Zaheer Khan (Image Credit: Twitter)

1. Zaheer Khan

The left-arm pacer only played three World Cups and managed to level Srinath's record. Also, in the 2011 winning campaign, he was the joint-highest wicket-taker alongside former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi. Meanwhile, talking about Khan's WC career, he has played 23 games and has 44 wickets with no five-wicket hauls.