Over the years, the World Cup has seen some of the finest actions. Be it top-class knocks or fiery bowling spells, it has always entertained the crowd. Indian team has won the World Cup 2 times and has always come as strong contenders. As they say, bowling wins you tournaments, so in this article, we will see 'Top 10 Bowling Spells by Indians in the World Cup'; which entertained the crowd a lot.
1. Ashish Nehra
Indian Left-Arm pacer Nehra was one of the best Indian left-arm pacers. In a group-stage game against England in the 2003 World Cup, Nehra picked his career-best figure of 6/23 in 10 over. Nehra displayed a master class of swing bowling on the accurate length and ran riot in the English line-up. Nehra took the vital wicket of Vaughan, Naseer Hussain, and Collingwood and destroyed the English batting line-up. He won the player of the Match award as India won the game by 82 runs.
2. Venkatesh Prasad
Venkatesh Prasad was one of India's; finest pace bowlers. He displayed his best skills on the World Cup stage against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Quarter Finals of the 1999 World Cup. Pakistan was chasing 228, and then Prasad destroyed the Pakistani batting line-up, picking five wickets for 27 runs. He picked crucial wicket of Saeed Anwar, with whom he had banter, and then took the wicket of Inzamam ul Haq and Moin Khan and ended the chase in Indian favor. He won the man of the Match for his performance.
3. Kapil Dev
Undoubtedly, India’s; most extraordinary all-rounder, Kapil Dev, was one of the best bowlers of his generation. Kapil displayed his skill in a game against Australia in the 1983 World Cup vs. Australia. On a flat pitch, Kapil hardly gave runs & took 5 Aussie wickets for just 43 runs in 12 overs. He took the wickets of Kepler Wessles and Rod Marsh and then cleaned up the tail. However, India went on to lose the match by 162 runs, and his performance went in vain.
4. Yuvraj Singh
One of India's; finest limited-overs international batters, Yuvraj was at his best in the 2011 World Cup with both bat and ball. In a game against Ireland in the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj picked five wickets for just 31 runs in his ten over. He took the wicket of William Porterfield, Kevin O'Brien, and Alex Cusack, which destroyed the Irish batting line-up, and India went on to win the match by five wickets. Yuvraj won the player of the match award for his 5-fer, followed by a fifty.
5. Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami is one of the best Indian fast bowlers with a terrific record in the World Cup. Shami displayed mastery over the ball in a group-stage game against Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup. He took four wickets for just 35 runs, which included a maiden over. He picked crucial wickets of Younis Khan, Misbah, and Shahid Afridi and derailed the Pakistani chase as India won the game by 76 runs.
6. Zaheer Khan
One of India's; finest bowlers, Zaheer Khan, performed best against New Zealand in the 2003 World Cup group stage game. Khan destroyed the Kiwi batting line-up as he took the wickets of Craig Macmillan and Nathan Astle for 0 runs as the score read 0-2. He then took the wickets of Brendon McCullum and Chris Harris and finished with figures of 4/42 in 8 overs as New Zealand was all out for just 146 runs. India went on to win the match by seven wickets, and Zaheer Khan won the man of the match award.
7. Yuzvendra Chahal
Chahal is regarded as one of the best wrist spinners for India in One Day Internationals. In a group stage game against South Africa in the 2019 World Cup, Chahal destroyed the African batting line-up, picking four wickets for 51 runs. Chahal cleaned Faf du Plessis for 38 and Rassie van der Dussan for 22 with beautiful deliveries. He then took the wickets of Miller and Phehlukwayo as South Africa was all out for 227 runs. India went on to win the match by six wickets.
8. Jasprit Bumrah
India's; premier fast bowler, Bumrah, showed what he is capable of in a group-stage game against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup. On a flat track, Bumrah took four wickets of Afghani batters for just 39 runs. He took the wickets of Ibrahim Zadran and set the tone for the game. Later in the game, he took the wickets of Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, and Rashid Khan and destroyed the Afghani batting line-up.
9. Mohammad Shami
Shami was on fire in the 2019 World Cup. In a group-stage game against Afghanistan in the 2019 World Cup, Shami took four wickets and turned the game in India's favor. India set a modest target of 225 runs. Shami removed H. Zazai for just ten runs. Later in the game, Afghanistan was cruising towards victory, he took a hat trick in the last over, which included the wicket of well-set Mohammad Nabi, Aftab Alam, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The over ended the game in India's favor as they won the match by 11 runs.
10. Madan Lal
Madan Lal was part of the Indian team in the 1983 World Cup. In the finals, West Indies were chasing 184 runs and were cruising towards victory by scoring 50 runs with the loss of 1 wicket. Then, Madan Lal took the wicket of Haynes and then picked the wicket of the dangerous Viv Richards, who had scored 33 runs. He then picked the wicket of Larry Gomes as India went on to win the match by 43 runs.
