India has grown leaps and bounds as a cricketing and sporting nation over the last few decades. In cricket, the team became popular either because of some of the prolific batters they have had in the past or due to the potent spinners that they churn out generation after generation.
But over the last decade or so, India has been able to produce quality pacers, and the performance of the team across formats has been upwards. These pacers have done tremendously well for them in terms of making a lasting impact, either by picking wickets or bowling one dream spell after another.
Just like any format, wickets are important for a team to win the contest in ODIs too. Here are the top 10 Indian bowlers who, historically, have had impressive strike rates (balls per wicket) in ODIs.
Indian Bowlers with Best Strike Rate in ODI (Min. 50 Wickets)
| Player | Innings | Balls Bowled | Wickets | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Shami | 100 | 4985 | 195 | 25.5 |
| Mohammed Siraj | 40 | 1825 | 68 | 26.8 |
| Shardul Thakur | 46 | 1940 | 65 | 29.8 |
| Amit Mishra | 34 | 1917 | 64 | 29.9 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 98 | 5126 | 167 | 30.6 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 88 | 4580 | 149 | 30.7 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 69 | 3739 | 121 | 30.9 |
| Ishant Sharma | 78 | 3733 | 115 | 32.4 |
| Ajit Agarkar | 188 | 9484 | 288 | 32.9 |
| S Sreesanth | 52 | 2508 | 75 | 33.0 |
Key insights from the above stats
Though India is often called a country where spinners dominate, this list of bowlers with strike rates has more number of pacers compared to that of the tweaker. There are only 3 spinners in the top 10 Indian bowlers with the best strike rates in ODI cricket.
If we analyse the list carefully, we can find the highest ODI wicket-taker for India, Anil Kumble (334), didn’t feature among the top 10 bowlers with minimum strike rates. To sum it up, 6 of the 7 Indian bowlers who have taken 200 or more wickets in ODIs don’t find a mention in this list, and this includes legendary names like Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, and Ravindra Jadeja.
The only bowler with more than 250+ ODI wickets for India to feature in the top 10 best bowling strike rates is the former pacer Ajit Agarkar. He has taken 288 wickets in this format in just 191 games, and it came at an average of 27.85, which is great for a long career. Agarkar, who was the quickest Indian to reach the 200-wicket milestone, has taken 2 five-wicket hauls in his glittering ODI career.
The best Indian bowler in terms of having a miserly strike rate is the current frontline pacer of the country, Mohammed Siraj. With a good deal of pace and ability to swing the ball, Siraj has been a potent pacer for India in the format.
Another contemporary speedster Mohammed Shami is also among the bowlers with the best strike rates for India. Shami has one of the best averages for an Indian bowler who has taken 150 wickets or more.
Speaking of averages, Kuldeep Yadav follows Shami with an incredible bowling average. He has also been one of the prime wicket-takers for India in this format and his strike rate speaks volumes about his ability.
A surprising name in the list is that of Shardul Thakur who has proved to be useful for India in the bowling department across formats in the last few years. Especially in ODIs, Shardul has been amongst the wickets more often and whenever there is a dire need for a breakthrough, the medium pacer has regularly stepped up.
