The Indian team has had great spinners throughout ODI cricket history. There have been various spinners who have the Indian team matches on their own. We will now look at the Indian spinners with the most ODI wickets.
1. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is undoubtedly one of the most important players that the Indian team had in test cricket. However, he was an equally vital player for the Indian team in ODIs too. Anil Kumble is the leading wicket-taker for India in ODIs. He is one of the few bowlers in the world who have taken 300 ODI wickets. Anil Kumble took 337 wickets in his ODI career.
2. Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh was an off-spinner. For the majority of his career, he played second fiddle to Anil Kumble. Singh took over 250 wickets. He had taken three five-wicket hauls in his ODI career. Harbhajan Singh took 269 wickets in his ODI career.
3. Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is a left-arm spin all-rounder. For most of his career, he has been a pure bowler whose batting could be ignored. However, in the past 3-4 years, his batting has improved beyond measure. It has lent a crucial balance to the team. Ravindra Jadeja has taken 189 wickets in his ODI career.
4. Sachin Tendulkar
This will likely be a surprise. Obviously, Sachin Tendulkar is one of the greatest batsmen of all time, in both test cricket and ODI. However, in the early days of his career, he was a handy bowler too. Tendulkar was a great part-time bowler. At his best, he was almost a batting all-rounder. He has two five-wicket hauls in his ODI career. One of the greatest moments in his bowling career was in the semi-final of the 1993 Hero Cup. South Africa required six runs to win off the final over. Sachin conceded just three runs to win India the match. Sachin Tendulkar took 154 wickets in his ODI career.
5. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin was a regular member of the Indian ODI unit in the mid-2010s. In limited overs, he was more known for his ability to hold an end tight than his ability to take wickets. He did a pretty good job at it. He played regularly in ODIs till the 2017 Champions Trophy, after which he started transitioning into a red ball specialist. Ravichandran Ashwin has taken 151 wickets in his ODI career.
6. Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri was an all-rounder. He was introduced into the team as a spinner who could bat a bit before he transitioned into a proper batsman. His all-round skills were of immense help to the team. Ravi Shastri took 129 wickets in his ODI career.
7. Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal is a leg-spinner. He proved himself in IPL, which helped him get to the Indian team. Upon his entry to the Indian team, he proved to be a terrific bowler. He has been an excellent wicket-taking option for India in the middle overs. Yuzvendra Chahal has taken 118 wickets in his ODI career.
8. Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling style is the rarest variety present in cricket. He is a left-arm wrist spinner. After the 2017 Champions Trophy, he got into the ODI team. He made an instant impact. He ripped apart batting line-ups either entirely on his own or with the help of Yuzvendra Chahal. Kuldeep Yadav has taken 112 wickets in his ODI career.
9. Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh was a terrific middle-order batsman who was also a brilliant part-time left-arm spinner. His bowling peaked at the 2011 World Cup, which provided the team balance and helped the team win the tournament. Yuvraj Singh took 111 wickets in his ODI career.
10. Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag is an entertaining batsman and a more entertaining person. He once declared that he doesn’t consider off-spinners as bowlers. Irony was that he was an off-spinner himself. He would cheekily respond that he doesn’t consider himself a bowler either. That said, he was an excellent part-time spinner. His handy bowling helped add batting and bowling depth to the ODI line-up. His best bowling performance was against Bangladesh in the 2010 Asia Cup. He took 4-6 in just 2.5 overs as Bangladesh collapsed from 160-5 to 167-10. Virender Sehwag took 96 wickets in his ODI career.
