No Zaheer Khan as Glenn McGrath picks the five best Indian ODI fast-bowlers of all-time ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 series

2011 ICC World Cup Semi-Final Preview - India v Pakistan - Source: Getty
Zaheer Khan has 269 ODI wickets to his name from 191 innings. (Pic: Getty Images).

Australian bowling legend Glenn McGrath recently picked his top five Indian ODI fast bowlers of all-time. Former left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan was among the notable absentees from the list.

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McGrath ranked Javagal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar as fifth and fourth, respectively. Notably, Srinath (315 wickets) and Agarkar (288 wickets) are the top two most successful Indian ODI pacers in terms of wickets.

Mohammad Shami (206 wickets) got the third spot, while former captain Kapil Dev (253 wickets) was placed second. The number one on McGrath's list was ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah (149 wickets).

McGrath ranked the Indian bowlers in a video posted on the YouTube channel, 'The Fast Bowling Cartel'. Explaining the reason behind giving Bumrah the first rank, he said:

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At 1:04:30, "Bumrah is just unbelievable. He's got such a unique action, so different to anyone else in world cricket. Not an action, run-up or technique you would teach because it does place a lot of stress on the body, those last two steps as he powers into the crease and through is unbelievable. If you slow his action down, where he releases the ball is about a couple of foot closer to the batsman than most other bowlers.
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"So, that's quite unique about him. But he found what works for him. Now it's just about keeping his body strong enough to keep bowling day in and day out. His stats, unbelievable, just his process, the way he goes about it. He's I think comfortably number one."

Ex-Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie was also part of the discussion, and he too shared his top five list. His top five were almost identical to McGrath's, barring one change.

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Dev moved down to the third spot, while Shami climbed to the second position in Gillespie's list.


Zaheer Khan featured in Damien Fleming's list of the five best Indian ODI fast-bowlers of all-time

Former Australian fast bowler Damien Fleming also named his top five Indian ODI fast bowlers of all-time in the same video. Zaheer Khan found a place in the list as Fleming ranked him No. 5.

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Zaheer is India's third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs among pacers. He bagged 269 wickets across 191 innings. Fleming kept Mohammad Shami and Javagal Srinath as fourth and third, respectively.

Jasprit Bumrah took the No. 1 rank in Fleming's top five as well, while Kapil Dev earned the second place. Meanwhile, Bumrah has been rested for the Men in Blue's upcoming three-match away ODI series against Australia.

The first game will be played in Perth on Sunday, October 19. Bumrah will be seen in action during the subsequent five-match T20I series between the two sides, beginning October 29.

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Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai
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