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

#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.