Top five leading wicket-takers against India in ODIs

With two World Cups and two Champions Trophy titles and a dominant ODI record against numerous top nations, India can be rightly termed as heavyweights in the world of ODI cricket.

The Men in Blue have been a hard nut to crack and there's simply no arguing of their position in the elite bracket. Men like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli have donned the famous shirt and represented India in 50-over cricket.

India has been known to produce exemplary batsmen and when we look at the record books, there's little to argue about India's rich history of producing world-class batsmen. With a plethora of runs to their name, Indian batsmen are second to none when it comes to smashing records.

Keeping all this in mind, it is quite an achievement to flourish against the them in ODI cricket. Here we list down five bowlers who have taken the most number of ODI wickets against India.

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#5 Brett Lee - 55

Brett Lee

One of the most lethal fast bowlers of his generation, Brett Lee became synonymous with fast-bowling back in the early part of 21st century. Lee is known to be one of the fastest bowlers of all-time and his pace did cause a lot of trouble to the opposition batsmen.

He enjoyed playing against India and the number of wickets he took against them places him on this list blessed with legends. The Australian pacer has had some memorable battles with the likes of Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh.

Lee played 32 ODIs against India in which he managed to take 55 wickets at an impressive economy of 4.49.

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#4 Saqlain Mushtaq - 57

Saqlain Mushtaq of Pakistan appeals to the Umpire

Saqlain Mushtaq is often regarded as one of the best white-ball spinners of all-time and his numbers support his case of domination. The Pakistani off-spinner was a nightmare for the batsmen with his unorthodox bowling style. His "doosra" is still remembered by the Pakistan cricket devotees fondly.

Mushtaq had an impressive ODI career as he went on to represent his nation in 169 ODIs in which he took 288 wickets. His record against Pakistan's arch-rivals was commendable as he took 57 wickets in 36 fixtures.

#3 Wasim Akram - 60

Wasim Akram took a total of 502 wickets in his ODI career, the most for a fast bowler.

Arguably the greatest all-around fast bowler of all time, Wasim Akram was a destructive pacer who frightened batsmen all around the globe. On his day, he was effortlessly capable of dominating even the best batsmen of the world and his exploits helped Pakistan rise to the top of world cricket.

Akram enjoyed an eye-catching record against India and was often found in his phenomenal best whenever Pakistan squared off against them. His tally of 60 wickets from 48 appearances do suggest that the legendary left-arm pacer relished the opportunity of facing India at the international stage.

His economy rate of 3.73 is more than impressive as India has always been known to score runs quickly, but the King of Swing was often able to contain the Indian batsmen.

#2 Chaminda Vaas - 70

CWC 2007 Semi Final - Sri Lanka v New Zealand

One of the classiest players to ever grace the field, Chaminda Vaas was a marvellous bowler back in his day. The left-arm pacer from Sri Lanka was a fearsome bowler who had the ability to turn the match on its head with a little moment of brilliance. Vaas had an extraordinary ODI career with the ball as he took 400 wickets. Of those 400 scalps, 70 came against Sri Lanka's subcontinent neighbours, India.

He enjoyed a great amount of success against the Men in Blue and his personal best of 5/14 against India is well remembered by the ardent supporters of Sri Lankan cricket. Vass tore apart the Indian batting order as they were bowled out for a meagre 54 runs in the final of Coca Cola Trophy at Sharjah, losing by 245 runs.

To this date, Vaas' heroics with the ball are celebrated by the Sri Lankan fans.

#1 Muttiah Muralitharan - 74

Australia v Sri Lanka - Commonwealth Bank Series

The Sri Lankan stalwart has a plethora of records to his name and this one just showcases his masterclass on the field. Muttiah Muralitharan was truly a champion in every sense.

Indians have been known to be some of the best players of spin which makes Muralitharan's record against them all the more special. The legendary off-spinner took 74 ODI wickets against them in 63 matches he played. His numbers in all forms of cricket have been astonishing and it's no secret that many big players have labelled him as the greatest of all time.

Sri Lanka and India had some tensed encounters over the years and it won't be wrong to say that Muralitharan often troubled the Indian batsmen with his skillset. An economy of 4.28 in ODIs against India suggests that he was a hard case to crack and many Indian batsmen found it tough to score against him.