In past, India and Sri Lanka have made many exciting matches. There was a time when both the team had many legendary players and the matches used to be very exciting and entertaining for the fans. One example of such an exciting match is the 2011 World Cup final. Also from 18 July 2021, the second-string team of India will be playing against Sri Lanka in 3 ODI matches and 3 T20 matches. Right before the series starts, let's take a look at the cricketers with the most wickets in ODIs in India vs Sri Lanka series.

Read also: Most runs in ODIs in India vs Sri Lanka series

1. Muttiah Muralidharan

Muttiah Muralitharan tops the list with the most wickets in ODI in India vs Sri Lanka series. The legend is considered one of the greatest spinners in cricket history because of his phenomenal performances in both limited and unlimited formats. He has dismissed Indian batsmen 74 Times with an average of 31.78 and a strike rate of 44.5.

2. Chaminda Vaas

Chaminda Vaas holds the second position on this list. He is one of the most terrific bowlers of Sri Lanka and had an exclusive performance in both the limited and test formats of the game. Also, he is one of the bowlers to take 400 wickets in ODI. His ability to take wickets with inswingers was something that helped the team a lot of times. The Sri Lankan legend has picked up 70 wickets against India in the ODI series return average of 31.61 and a strike rate of 40.6.

3. Zaheer Khan

The Indian cricketer with the most wickets in ODIs in India vs Sri Lanka series is Zaheer Khan. He was an important member of the Indian squad in the 2011 World Cup final. Also, he has bowled the most number of balls (426.2 overs) against Sri Lanka in ODIs. He has picked up 66 wickets against Sri Lanka in ODI matches with an average of 32.19 and a strike rate of 38.7.

4. Harbhajan Singh

The fourth bowler with the most wickets on this list is Harbhajan Singh. He is the only spinner in the top five bowlers. His last match against Sri Lanka was the 2011 world cup final where he picked up 1 wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan. Against Sri Lanka, he has bowled 392.1 overs and picked up 61 wickets with an average of 26.95 and a strike rate of 38.5.

Read also: Most runs in T20I cricket (men's)

5. Ajit Agarkar

The fifth player on this list with the most ODI wickets in India vs Sri Lanka series is Ajit Agarkar. In the late 90s and early 2000s, he was a very important bowler of the team and was appreciated and favoured by a lot of team members as well. His wicket-taking ability helped him to excel in the ODI format. He dismissed Sri Lankan batsmen 49 times with an of 20.61 and a strike rate of 24.7.

Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has topped the wicket-takers list in 2024. After missing the ODI World Cup last year due to injury, Hasaranga made a superb comeback in 2024. In this article, we will look at the bowlers with most ODI wickets in 2024.

Also Read: Most Test runs in 2024: Root, Jaiswal, Duckett and more

Most ODI wickets in 2024

1# Wanindu Hasaranga | 26 Wickets 

Veteran Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga finished 2024 as the joint-highest wicket-taker in ODIs this year, taking 26 wickets in just 10 matches at an average of 15.61.

Hasaranga's most memorable performance in ODI cricket this year came against Bangladesh in Chittagong, where he scored 7/19 to help the team win by three wickets.

2# Dillon Heyliger | 26 Wickets

Canadian medium pacer bowler Dillon Heyliger registered his name as the joint-highest wicket taker in ODI cricket by taking 26 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 22.23 in 2024.

His impressive performances included five wickets once and four wickets twice. Dilan's best bowling figures of 5/31 came against Nepal at King City in September.

3# Allah Ghazanfar | 21 Wickets 

Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghaznafar, who will make his IPL debut for the Mumbai Indians in 2025, managed to take 21 wickets in 11 ODIs in 2024. He is the only bowler to take two five-wicket hauls in 2024.

4# Aryan Dutt | 21 Wickets 

Netherlands off-spinner Aryan Dutt registered his name as the third highest ODI wicket taker in 2024 by taking 21 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 18.71. His impressive performance also included taking five wickets once.

His best bowling was 6/34 which came against Namibia in Kirtipur.

Also Read: Most international runs in each calendar year (since 2010)

5# Nosthush Kenjige | 20 Wickets 

United States (USA) spinner Nosthush Kenjige took 20 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 21.90 in 2024. Known for his variations, Nosthush's impressive tally includes four wicket hauls. 

Kenjige's best bowling performance in 2024 came against Nepal in Dallas, where he took 4/52.

6# Kaleem Sana | 19 Wickets

Canada cricketer Kaleem Sana took 19 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 19.31 in 2024. Kaleem's tally also includes two four wicket hauls. Kaleem's best bowling performance in 2024 was 4/30.

7# Saad Bin Zafar | 19 Wickets

At No. 7, we have the third Canadian in the list. Saad Bin Zafar also took 19 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 30.73 in 2024. Zafar's best bowling performance in 2024 was 3/30.

8# Gerhard Erasmus | 18 Wickets

Namibia's Gerhard Erasmus took 18 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 22.38 in 2024. Erasmus' tally also includes a five wicket haul. His best bowling performance in 2024 was 5/28.

Shardul Thakur is the leading wicketkeeper in ODIs since the 2019 World Cup. Thakur has picked up 57 wickets from 39 matches with 2 four-wicket hauls

Mohammed Siraj is second in the list with 54 wickets from 29 matches at an economy rate of 4.74

Haris Rauf is second in the list with 53 wickets from 28 matches at an economy rate of 5.68

Mustafizur Rahman has notches 53 wickets from 28 matches at an economy rate of 4.93

Mitchell Starc has picked up 48 wickets from 26 matches at an average of 26.68

Shaheen Shah Afridi has also been impressive in the last 4 years with 46 wickets from 25 matches

The Super 4 clashes of the Asia Cup 2023 are going on in Sri Lanka at the moment. The final is likely to be played on September 17 in Colombo. Meanwhile, the first thought that comes to our mind when we talk about the Asia Cup is India vs. Pakistan. The only place these two teams have faced off against each other since India chose not to play Pakistan in the bilateral series. The players will try to give their everything for the preparation ahead of the ICC Men's World Cup 2023. In this article, we'll talk about the Indian bowlers. Let us take a look at the Indian players with the most wickets in Asia Cup history.

Also Read: Most Runs in Asia Cup by Indians

#5. Kapil Dev | 15 wickets

The fifth Indian bowler on this list is former World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev, who took 15 wickets in his Asia Cup career. Kapil is a right-arm fast-medium bowling all-rounder. This World Cup-winning captain played seven games in the Asia Cup from 1988 to 1991 and took 15 wickets with an average of 13.00 and an economy of 3.56 with one four-wicket haul.

#4. Sachin Tendulkar | 17 wickets

Surprisingly, all-time India great Sachin Tendulkar comes in the fourth position when it comes to the Indian bowlers with the most wickets in the Asia Cup. Sachin is a right-arm offbreak and a legbreak googly bowler. Along with batting, he was also a good bowler who bowled in 15 innings in the 23 games he played from 1990 to 2012. Tendulkar took 17 wickets with an average of 21.41 and an economy of 4.76.

#3. Kuldeep Yadav | 19 wickets

Kuldeep Yadav is 3rd on the list amongst the Indian bowlers who have taken 19 wickets in the Asia Cup. He matched his tally with Sachin Tendulkar during the match against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 clash. The spinner holds a brilliant average of 18.83 and an economy of 3.98 in the competition. Kuldeep picked up his only fifer in the Asia Cup against the arch-rival Pakistan.

Read Also: Most Titles Won in Asia Cup

#2. Irfan Pathan | 22 wickets

The second bowler on this list is former India all-rounder, Irfan Pathan who took the second most wickets for India in the Asia Cup. Irfan is a left-arm medium-fast all-rounder whose international career was from 2003 to 2012. He played 12 games in these years in the Asia Cup and took 22 wickets with an average of 27.50 and an economy of 5.54 with one four-wicket haul.

#1. Ravindra Jadeja | 24 wickets

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja comes at the top of this bowlers' list. Jadeja is a player, that a team can rely on in every situation. Jadeja is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and a left-handed destructive batter. He bowled in 17 games from 2010 to 2023 in the Asia Cup. Jadeja took 24 wickets with an average of 25.16 and an economy of 4.27 with two four-wicket hauls.

BCCI announced the Indian Cricket schedule 2023 for the upcoming MasterCard home series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia on Thursday. India's 2022-23 international home season will begin in January 3 with a three-match T20I and three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.

According to the announcement, India has to play 9 ODIs, 6 T20s, and 4 Tests at home next year. All these matches will be played within 78 days. These tours are important in terms of preparations for the ODI World Cup 2023 to be hosted by India in October-November next year. Team India will play 11 matches in the month of January. These include 6 ODIs and 5 T20s. They have to play white ball matches against New Zealand after Sri Lanka. The last match of the T20 series against the Kiwis will be played on February 1.

At the same time, Australia's tour is going to be big, because the Border-Gavaskar Trophy of 4 Tests will be played here as well as 3 ODIs. In the next three months, teams from three countries will come to India to play matches, and till March matches will be played continuously. Sri Lanka and New Zealand teams will tour India in January. While the Australian team will be in India in February and March.

Indian Cricket Schedule 2023:

India's Schedule for Sri Lanka Series

India's Schedule for New Zealand Series

India's Schedule for Australia Series

India pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne have made significant gains in the latest ICC Test Rankings, following their brilliance in the recently concluded India-Sri Lanka Test series. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli dropped four places to slip from fifth to ninth among batters.

Jasprit Bumrah, who bagged eight wickets, including his maiden Test five-for at home in the 2nd India vs Sri Lanka Test in Bangalore, jumped up six spots to attain fourth ranking in the ICC Test Rankings for bowlers. The Indian speedster leapfrogged Shaheen Afridi, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, James Anderson, Neil Wagner, and Josh Hazlewood at the table.

Also Read: IPL 2022 Updates: Prithvi Shaw scores 15 in Yo-Yo test, Hardik Pandya bowls for a longer period

Mohammed Shami climbed up a spot to displace fellow countryman Ravindra Jadeja to 17th. Meanwhile, Lasith Embuldeniya and Praveen Jayawickrama jumped up five positions each to 32nd and 45th slot respectively. Pat Cummins, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Kagiso Rabada have retained the top three spots.

Nkrumah Bonner and Shreyas Iyer took giant laps. Bonner scored 123 runs and an unbeaten 38 in the first drawn Test against England in Antigua last week. However, Iyer was rewarded for his match-winning 92 and 67 runs against Sri Lanka. Zak Crawley's 121 in the second innings against West Indies saw him jump 13 spots to 49th.

In the all-rounders' table, Jason Holder has reclaimed the top spot, replacing Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja had risen to No.1 after his 175* and nine wickets in the Mohali Test earlier this month. Ravichandran Ashwin, Shakib Al Hasan, and Ben Stokes round off the top five.

Read Also: Captains to Score Century in all 3 Formats (Men's)

ICC Men's Test Rankings : Batting

ICC Men's Test Rankings : All-Rounders

Also Read: Most Wickets in IPL history

ICC Men's Test Rankings : Bowlers