3 highest wicket-takers for India in ODIs without a 5-for

The Indian cricket team has seen its fair share of ups and downs in ODI cricket. After captain Kapil Dev led them to the 1983 World Cup win, future editions of the tournament were disappointing in comparison.

Indian cricket saw an upward curve in performances under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly, but a horror spell from Greg Chappell culminated in the team bowing out of the 2007 World Cup in embarrassing fashion.

However, under the leadership of MS Dhoni, India managed to win the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, establishing themselves as powerhouses in the 50-over format.

Their fantastic bowling attack does have a lot to do with their excellent performances in ODIs, but some bowlers have played many games without taking a 5-wicket haul. In this article, we take a look at the 3 highest wicket-takers for India in ODIs without a 5-for to their names.

Honourable Mentions: Virender Sehwag (94 wickets) and Munaf Patel (86 wickets)

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#3 Umesh Yadav (106 wickets)

Umesh Yadav finished as India's leading wicket-taker in the 2015 World Cup

Umesh Yadav is one of India's new breed of express pacers but unfortunately for him, he has never taken a 5-wicket haul in ODIs despite picking up 106 wickets in 75 matches.

Over the course of his 10-year ODI career so far, Yadav has registered four 4-wicket hauls, with best figures of 4/31. He boasts of an economy rate of 6.01 and his strike rate is on the higher side, but that can be attributed to his pace and aggressive bowling.

The fast bowler picked up 18 wickets in India's run to the semi-final in the 2015 World Cup, finishing as the team's leading wicket-taker above the man who is #1 on this list.

Although he currently isn't a regular in the ODI team due to the presence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Yadav is in great shape and seems to have developed a better understanding of his own limitations as a bowler. We could see the Royal Challengers Bangalore quick claim a 5-wicket haul in ODIs when cricket resumes.

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#2 Ishant Sharma (115 wickets)

Ishant Sharma has become a Test specialist of late, after a remarkable country stint with Jason Gillespie

Ishant Sharma has not had a very successful white-ball career but he has had his moments for India in ODIs, most notably the 2013 Champions Trophy final against England, where he picked up two crucial wickets towards the end of the innings.

However, a 5-wicket haul has not been among those moments. In 80 ODIs, the lanky pacer has picked up 115 wickets at an economy rate of 5.72. Sharma has picked up as many as six 4-wicket hauls in the 50-over format, with his best figures being 4/34.

The fast bowler has not featured for India in ODIs since 2016 and with him becoming something of a Test specialist, we may see Ishant Sharma retire without a 5-wicket haul to his name.

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#1 Ravichandran Ashwin (150 wickets)

Ravichandran Ashwin has seen his place in the Indian ODI team taken over by wrist-spinners

Perhaps the most shocking entrant on this list, Ravichandran Ashwin has played 111 ODIs for India, picking up 150 wickets at an economy rate of 4.91. However, the Tamil Nadu bowler has never taken 5 wickets in an innings - in fact, he has taken a 4-wicket haul only once in his career.

Ashwin's best figures of 4/25 are a far cry from his Test records, where he has taken 27 5-fors and 7 10-fors. In white-ball cricket, Ashwin has always been deployed as the wicket-taking option, with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina there to stem the flow of runs.

Looking at this stat, it might be a bit easier to understand why India have opted for the wrist-spinning talents of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in ODIs. However, the off-spinner is a quality bowler and if he keeps up his good performances in Test match cricket and the Indian Premier League, there is no reason why he should not make a comeback to the Indian ODI setup and claim that elusive 5-wicket haul.