India is a land that is best known for producing world-class batters and magnificent spinners. But, when it comes to fast bowlers, the story is slightly different.
Over the years, India may not have produced a lot of quality pacers, but a handful of them proved to be world-beaters. These pacers played a crucial role in many of India’s games with their pace and variations.
On that note, let’s look at the 5 greatest Indian fast bowlers in international cricket.
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev was the flagbearer of Indian pacers at a time when quality fast bowlers were hard to come by from the country. And no wonder he is the greatest Indian fast bowler to have emerged from the country.
The 1983 World Cup-winning captain could swing the ball with much finesse, especially the outswingers to the right-hand batters. He bowled with great accuracy to fetch wickets.
Dev had a remarkable 16-year career for India. The legendary bowling all-rounder racked up 434 wickets in 131 Tests and 253 scalps in 225 ODIs. Moreover, Dev fetched a whopping 835 wickets in 275 First-Class games, along with 335 in 310 List A games.
Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan was the leader of the pack for a significant time while donning the Indian jersey. He had great control over the ball and could swing it both ways while imparting reverse swing with the old ball.
The left-arm medium-pacer could even get wickets on the unfavourable subcontinent pitches. Once he sensed a batter’s weakness, it was all over for them.
But before achieving all these, Zaheer’s career was clouded with injuries. Nevertheless, he overcame the obstacles and led the Indian bowling attack from the front.
Zaheer took 311 wickets in 92 Tests, 282 wickets in 200 ODIs, and 17 wickets in 17 T20Is. He also played a vital role in India’s 2011 World Cup victory by taking 21 wickets.
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Javagal Srinath
Javagal Srinath is a respected name among the ICC’s elite match referees. But before that, he was a lethal fast bowler for India in Tests and ODIs.
Srinath had a great pace in his bowling, hitting the deck hard. He could move the ball both ways and send down cutters.
Srinath carried forward the legacy of Kapil Dev by heralding India’s pace bowling revolution. He remains one of the best Indian fast bowlers, with 236 wickets in Tests and 315 in ODIs.
Jasprit Bumrah
With an unorthodox bowling action, which is quite hard to imitate, a young Jasprit Bumrah announced himself in style in the 2013 IPL. His first wicket was that of Virat Kohli, and soon he found his way to the Indian team.
Bumrah possesses a natural pace, and his unusual release point makes him an unplayable bowler. And batters find it hard to navigate his pin-point yorkers aimed at the stumps.
The right-arm pacer has been a vital cog in India’s success at home and in away conditions. He has scalped over 150 wickets each in Tests and ODIs and close to 100 in T20Is.
Bumrah has a lot of cricket left in him and will look to add more wickets to his tally. And he has a chance to claim the title of the greatest Indian fast bowler in the future.
Mohammed Shami
Just when India was struggling with quality pacers, Mohammed Shami came along. He has the pace, accuracy, and ability to move the ball both ways.
After solid returns in domestic cricket, Shami earned a call-up to the Indian squad in 2013. He impressed early on with his performances, though he suffered quite a few injuries.
But Shami was an essential part of India’s bowling attack in 3 consecutive ODI World Cups in 2015, 2019, and 2023. He finished the 2023 edition as the leading wicket-taker with 24 scalps in 7 games and career-best figures of 7 for 57.
Shami has picked up over 230 wickets in Tests and close to 200 in ODIs. He hasn’t been able to replicate his success in other formats in T20Is.
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