5 most successful bowlers for India in Twenty20 Internationals

As India prepare to take on Sri Lanka in the three-match T20I series, the onus will once again shift on to the bowlers.

Although this format has gathered steam owing to the ruthless nature of batting, it is the bowlers who have progressed and upped their game over the years.

The bowlers have in many ways become more adept and their skills have seen a tremendous growth, and hence teams now go in with five regular bowlers as a solid bowling attack wins more matches compared to a more flamboyant batting order.

Here in this slider, we take a look at five of the most successful bowlers for India in the shortest format.

#5 Irfan Pathan

The golden boy of yesteryears, Irfan Pathan had the entire nation drooling over his skills, his remarkable bowling and his match-winning abilities.

Although Irfan is currently out-of-favour with the national selectors, there is no denying his worth with the ball and the impact he had on Indian cricket.

From 2006-2012, Irfan featured in 24 T20Is, picking up 28 wickets at an economy rate of 8.02 and with an average of 22.07.

His best bowling figures of three wickets for 16 runs came against Pakistan in the World Twenty20 finals and won the man of the match award for the performance.

#4 Ravindra Jadeja

One of the most curious cases in Indian cricket, Ravindra Jadeja shot to prominence with Twenty20 cricket and yet currently, he is ousted from this format.

However, this was not always the case with the Saurashtra-man as he was one of the first names to be penned down in the Indian teamsheet.

Before losing his place in the Indian team, Jadeja had played 40 matches and picked up 31 wickets with an average of 31.70 and at an economy rate of 7.27.

His best bowling performance came against the West Indies in Dhaka where he picked up three wickets for 48 runs.

#3 Ashish Nehra

The comeback king of Indian cricket, Nehra decided to hang his boots on November 1, 2017, against New Zealand in Delhi.

Probably the most experienced bowler to trundle in with the white ball in the shortest format, Nehra managed to skirt injuries and play in 27 matches over a period of eight years.

He picked up 34 wickets at an economy rate of 7.73 and with an average of 22.29. His best performance came against Afghanistan during the 2010 Word T20 when his picked up three wickets and gave away just 19 runs in the bargain and walked away with the man of the match award.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah

The young man from Gujarat, who shot to prominence from his unusual action in the Indian Premier League, has progressed to become one of the best bowlers in this format.

He learnt his skills under the tutelage of Lasith Malinga and today he is one of the best exponents of the yorker and slower deliveries.

He is still young but such has been his wicket-taking form that he sits at the second position in the list of highest wicket-takers for India in the shortest format.

A regular fixture in India's scheme of things, Bumrah has played 30 matches over the last two years and has picked up 40 wickets so far.

His average stands at an impressive 18.40 and his economy rate reads an astounding 6.74.

He was at his best against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2016 when he picked up three wickets for just 11 runs in his four overs.

With his amazing set of skills and match-winning abilities, there is little doubt that Bumrah could become the leading wicket-taker for India in the shortest format, almost by the end of the next year.

#1 Ravichandran Ashwin

India's biggest match-winner with the ball in Test cricket, Ashwin is currently not part of the T20 squad, which is quite a development.

However, the skilled bowler has already left his mark on the shortest format and can well stage a comeback anytime soon.

With his plethora of variations and different skill sets, Ashwin was quite an asset in T20s, more so, when MS Dhoni captained him.

Before being axed from this format, Ashwin had played 46 matches wherein he picked up 52 wickets at an economy rate of 6.97 and with an average of 22.94.

His best bowling figures came against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam where he picked four wickets for just eight runs.