5 Indian bowlers with most wickets in international cricket ft. Ravindra Jadeja

Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja bowled an economical spell on Day 1 of the third Test against England at Lord's on Thursday, July 10. England won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest. They went to stumps on 251-4, with Joe Root unbeaten on 99 and skipper Ben Stokes on 39.

Jadeja bowled 10 overs on Day 1 of the Lord's Test and registered figures of 1-26. The left-arm spinner dismissed the well-set Ollie Pope for 44 with the first ball after tea as substitute wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel pulled off a brilliant catch.

With the wicket, Jadeja achieved a significant milestone, entering the top five list of Indian bowlers with the most wickets in international cricket. On that note, we look at the famed list of the five Indian bowlers with the most wickets in international cricket.

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#5 Ravindra Jadeja (611)

Jadeja's scalp to dismiss Pope on Day 1 of the Lord's Test was his 611th scalp in international cricket, going past former left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan's tally of 610. He is currently featuring in his 361st match in international cricket and has claimed 611 wickets at an average of 29.29, with 17 five-fers.

Of Jadeja's 611 international scalps, 326 have come in the Test format. He is currently featuring in his 83rd Test match. The left-arm spinner has an average of 24.86 in Test cricket, with 15 five-fers and three 10-wicket match hauls.

The 36-year-old veteran all-rounder has also played 204 ODIs in which he has claimed 231 wickets at an average of 35.41, with seven four-fers and two five-fers. Jadeja retired from T20Is with 54 wickets from 74 matches, averaging 29.85.

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#4 Kapil Dev (687)

Former captain Kapil Dev is fourth on the illustrious list of Indian bowlers with the most wickets in international cricket. He played 356 international matches between 1978 and 1994, claiming 687 wickets at an average of 28.83, with 24 five-fers.

The Haryana Hurricane played 131 Test matches in which he claimed 434 wickets at an average of 29.64, with the aid of 23 five-fers and two 10-wicket match hauls. The former right-arm pacer also featured in 225 one-dayers, picking up 253 wickets at an average of 27.45, with three four-fers and one five-fer.

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#3 Harbhajan Singh (711)

Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is currently at No. 3 on the list of Indian bowlers with the most wickets in international cricket. Harbhajan played 367 international games between 1998 and 2016, picking up 711 wickets at an average of 32.54, with the aid of 28 five-fers.

Harbhajan featured in 103 Test matches, claiming 417 wickets at an average of 32.46, with 25 five-fers and five 10-wicket match hauls. The Turbanator also featured in a total of 236 ODI matches, picking up 269 wickets at an average of 33.35 and an economy rate of 4.31, with two four-fers and three five-fers.

Looking at his T20I figures, the former off-spinner played 28 matches and claimed 25 scalps, averaging 25.32 at an economy rate of 6.20. He picked up one four-fer, claiming 4-12 against England in Colombo in the 2012 T20 World Cup.

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#2 Ravichandran Ashwin (765)

Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired from international cricket in December 2024 after an exceptional career, is second on the list of Indian bowlers with the most wickets in international cricket. Ashwin played 287 matches between 2010 and 2024, claiming 765 wickets at an average of 25.80, with 37 five-fers.

The former India cricketer from Tamil Nadu played 106 Test matches and picked up 537 wickets at an average of exactly 24, with 37 five-fers and eight 10-wicket match hauls. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (67) has more five-fers in Test cricket.

Bowler	Matches	Wickets	Average	BBI	BBM	5w	10w
Anil Kumble	403	956	30.09	10-74	14-149	37	8
R Ashwin	287	765	25.80	7-59	13-140	37	8
Harbhajan Singh	367	711	32.54	8-84	15-127	28	5
Kapil Dev	356	687	28.83	9-83	11-146	24	2
Ravindra Jadeja	361*	611	29.29	7-42	10-110	17	3

(List of top five Indian bowlers with most wickets in international cricket. Stats include ongoing India-England 3rd Test at Lord's.)

Ashwin played 116 ODIs and claimed 156 wickets, averaging 33.20 at an economy rate of 4.90. He claimed one four-fer, picking up 4-25 against the UAE in the 2015 World Cup at The WACA. In T20Is, the 38-year-old featured in 65 matches, claiming 72 wickets at an average of 23.22. Ashwin claimed two four-fers in T20Is, with a best of 4-8, which came against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam in 2016.

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#1 Anil Kumble (956)

Leg spin legend Anil Kumble tops the list of Indian bowlers with the most wickets in international cricket. In 403 matches between 1990 and 2008, the former India captain claimed a total of 956 wickets at an average of 30.09, with 37 five-fers.

During a stellar career, Kumble played 132 Test matches and picked up 619 wickets at an average of 29.65, with the aid of 35 five-fers. The former India leggie is among only three bowlers to have claimed all 10 wickets in an innings in Test cricket. He achieved the feat against Pakistan in Delhi in February 1999.

Looking at his ODI career, Kumble played 271 matches and claimed 337 wickets at an average of 30.89 and an economy rate of 4.30, with eight four-fers and two five-fers. His best of 6-12 was registered against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in the Hero Cup final in November 1993.