5 Indian bowlers with most wickets in ODIs after first 8 matches

Overview

• Ajit Agarkar and Prasidh Krishna are the bowlers to have taken the most wickets for India after playing 8 matches
• Jasprit Bumrah is second in the list, who had claimed 17 wickets in his first 8 innings in the period 2016-17 
• Harshit Rana and Ravichandran Ashwin are the Indian bowlers to have taken the third most wickets after playing their first 8 matches in the 50-overs format

As the popular phrase goes, bowlers win matches and tournaments in cricket. In any format of the game, the role of the bowlers are not highlighted as that of the batters. But they tend to do the hard job of containing the batters and even dismissing them to give an upper hand for the team.

India has not produced the best bowlers in the world historically. However, some of India's best bowlers have emerged in the 21st century, especially after 2010s. Some of them had a good starts to their careers and ensured the selection wasn't a tough job. In ODIs, some of the Indian bowlers have had a great time after their first 8 matches.

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5 Indian bowlers with most wickets in ODIs after first 8 matches

Ravichandran Ashwin (16)

Ravichandran Ashwin had a good start to his career across all formats of the game. Ironically, he had to get set a bit in the Test team but went on to give his best in the format, while he had a great start to his career in LOIs, only to be sidelined towards 2017. In his first 8 ODIs, Ashwin claimed 18 wickets, the joint third most for an Indian bowler.

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Harshit Rana (16)

Much like Ashwin, Harshit Rana has claimed 16 wickets in his first 8 ODIs, at the rate of two wickets per innings. For the same reason, he has been trusted and backed by the Indian Management. In the Champions Trophy 2025 and the bilateral series against England and Australia, Rana did well and has earned his spot in the Indian Playing XI.

Read More: 5 Indian batters with most runs against an opponent away from home in ODIs

Jasprit Bumrah (17)

Jasprit Bumrah had one of the best starts for his international career across formats. His best at the highest level was in ODIs till he made his Test debut. In his first 8 ODIs, the unorthodox pacer had claimed 17 wickets, which is the second most for an Indian bowler. After being regarded a T20 specialist, Bumrah proved he was the real deal for all formats.

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Ajit Agarkar (19)

Ajit Agarkar had a brilliant start to his ODI career. In his first 8 matches for India in ODIs, the right-arm pacer had claimed 19 wickets, which is still the joint most for a bowler. Agarkar is one of the best wicket taking bowlers India has produced in ODIs to date. His record could only be equalled after nearly two decades in the 50-over format.

Prasidh Krishna (19)

Prasidh Krishna has been good for India in ODIs. When he burst into the scene at the highest level, the right-arm pacer was not a regular. However, he got better with every match and delivered the goods whenever he got a chance to play for India. In ODIs, he was particularly good as a wicket taking option. Prasidh claimed 19 wickets in his first 8 ODIs for India with the best bowling strike rate.