Asia Cup 2025 will be held in UAE from 9 to 28 September. Due to T20 World Cup 2026, this time Asia Cup will also be organized in T20 format. India is being seen as the biggest contender in the Asia Cup this time.

Over the years, there have been many bowlers who have made a significant impact for their sides in the Asia Cup and are even featured in the list of highest wicket taker in Asia Cup history. Players like Muthiah Muralidaran, Lasith Malinga and many more are certified legends for their sides, and they fully deserve the status after their brilliant bowling performances over the years.

With the Asia Cup 2025 right around the corner, let's have a look at the highest wicket taker in Asia Cup history.

Also Read: Highest Run Scorer in Asia Cup History (ODI + T20)

Highest Wicket Taker in Asia Cup History | ODI Format

1. Muthiah Muralidaran

Muthiah Muralidaran is considered to be one of the greatest bowlers in the history of cricket. He has picked up 30 wickets in 24 Asia Cup matches at an economy of 3.75 and an average of 28.83. He was part of Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup titles wins in 1997, 2004 and 2008.

2. Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga is second on the list of best bowlers in Asia Cup history. He has been one of Sri Lanka's greatest pacers, especially in white-ball cricket. Malinga played in 5 editions from 2004 to 2018 and took 29 wickets at an economy of 4.65 and an average of 20.55. He finished as the highest wicket-taker in the 2010 and 2014 editions and won the Asia Cup in 2004 and 2014.

3. Ajantha Mendis

Former Sri Lanka mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis is third on the list. Mendis took 26 wickets in just 8 matches from 2008 to 2014 at an economy of 3.98 and an average of 10.42. He was the highest wicket-taker at the 2008 edition and helped Sri Lanka to the Asia Cup titles in 2008 and 2014.

4. Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal is the only non-Sri Lankan bowler in the top 5 bowlers with the most wickets in Asia Cup history. Ajmal took 25 wickets in 12 matches between 2008 and 2014 at an average of 19.25 and an economy rate of 4.21. He was part of Pakistan’s Asia Cup-winning team in 2012.

5. Ravindra Jadeja

India's star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja completes the top 5 list of the bowlers with most wickets in the Asia Cup. He played in the 2010 to 2023 editions of the Asia Cup so far and took 25 wickets at an average of 26.28 and an economy rate of 4.34. 

Also Read: Asia Cup 2025 date announced; BCCI yet to confirm participation against Pakistan

Highest Wicket Taker in Asia Cup History | T20 Format

1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The top wicket-taker in Asia Cup T20 history is India’s pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has scalped 13 wickets in six matches at an impressive average of 9.46. The 35-year-old, who is currently not part of India’s squad, is also known for his skillful death and new ball bowling.

Bhuvi has an excellent economy rate of only 5.34 and is the only bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the shorter edition of the tournament. The right-arm medium pacer’s best figures of 5/4 — also his T20I best, came against Afghanistan in the 2022 edition of the tournament.

2. Amjad Javed

The second-highest wicket-taker of this list is Amjad Javed of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who has featured only in the 2016 edition of the tournament, where he led the team. In the only edition he played in this format, he has taken 12 wickets in seven matches at an average of 14.08.

The 45-year-old has a relatively higher economy rate of 7.34 as compared to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Javed’s best bowling figures in an innings came against Sri Lanka during the inaugural edition of the T20I format of the Asia Cup. The right-arm pacer took three wickets for 25 runs to record his best figures in the tournament.

3. Mohammad Naveed

The third-highest wicket-taker in the event’s history is also the UAE’s Mohammad Naveed, with 11 wickets to his name in seven matches. Like Amjad Javed, he made only one appearance during the 2016 Asia Cup, where his team advanced after playing qualifying rounds.

The 38-year-old has an excellent average of 13.18 with a reasonable economy rate of 5.24. Naveed’s best bowling figures of 3-14 came against Hong Kong in 2016. With his bowling performance, the UAE restricted Hong Kong to 146-7 in their 20 overs. In reply, the UAE successfully chased down the total and won by nine wickets.

4. Rashid Khan

Afghanistan spin wizard Rashid Khan has taken 161 wickets in just 96 T20Is for Afghanistan and is the leading wicket taker in T20 cricket. However, he is unlikely to be fourth on the list by his standards. He has so far taken 11 wickets despite playing eight matches, a number higher than all the top three bowlers.

The leg-spinner has an average of 18.36 and boasts a slightly higher economy rate of 6.51. His best figures of 3-22 came against Bangladesh in 2022, resulting in a thrilling victory over the Tigers.

5. Hardik Pandya

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is fifth on the list. The right-arm pacer has scalped 11 wickets in eight matches so far, with an average of 18.81 and the highest economy rate of (7.01) among the top five bowlers.

Notably, his best figures of 3-8 against arch-rivals Pakistan during the 2016 edition. Thanks to Hardik Pandya’s bowling, India bundled out Pakistan for a modest total of 83 and successfully chased it down in 15.3 overs.

Indian ODI team captain Rohit Sharma has reached the second position in the men's ICC ODI rankings. In the new rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, the Hitman jumped one place and reached the second position. With this, he left behind Pakistan's star batsman Babar Azam. 

Also Read: Most Ducks by an Indian in Tests

Rohit last played in March

Rohit, who has already retired from Tests and T20I, last played an ODI in March during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand, which India won.

Rohit has scored 180 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy in five matches, boasting a highest strike rate of 100.00 among the Indian batters in the tournament. Rohit has 756 rating points in the latest rankings.

Babar failed to perform against West Indies

On the other hand, Babar could not show anything special in the recent ODI series against West Indies, which the Men in Green lost 1-2 in Trinidad. As a result, he slipped to the third position.

With Babar managing just 56 runs against West Indies in three ODIs, the International Cricket Council (ICC) took a note of his strike rate to drop him to third. He managed a strike rate of just 62.22 against West Indies.

Gill at No. 1

There has been no change in Shubman Gill's reign in the latest ICC ODI rankings for batters. He is in first place with 784 rating points. Apart from Gill and Rohit, the third Indian in the top five is Virat Kohli, who is in fourth place. He has 736 rating points.

India continues to dominate the ODI charts, with five players in the top 15, including Shreyas Iyer (8th) and KL Rahul (15th).

Also Read: Shreyas Iyer's best knocks in Tests

India to play next ODI series against Australia

It is worth mentioning that the Indian team will tour Australia in October. During this time a three-match ODI series will be played between the two.

Rohit announced after Champions Trophy 2025 that he does not intend to retire from ODI cricket, even sharing a moment with Kohli joking about it during the celebrations.

However, despite having eyes on the 2027 Cricket World Cup, Rohit and Kohli's spots are reportedly not a guarantee in the ODI setup. In fact, as per reports in recent days, the veteran duo will also have to turn up in domestic cricket as a metric for form and fitness.

On the other hand, whether Rohit will continue to be captain till the World Cup is also a topic of debate. With 25-year-old Shubman Gill impressing in England, Rohit isn't an automatic captaincy selection anymore. However, the ODI rankings continue to reflect both Rohit and Kohli's continued prowess in the 50-over format.

Since the beginning, India has been known for producing great batsmen. From great Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, they have all been among the best batsmen of their respective eras. Though all of these batters have set multiple records, only a few could score over 600 test runs in a series.

In this article, we present you with the list of players with the most runs for India in a test series.

Most Runs for India in a Test Series

#1. Suni Gavaskar | 774 in 1970-71 vs West Indies

In India's tour of the West Indies in 1970-71, Sunil Gavaskar made his debut and became the first Indian batter to score 700 or more runs in a test series. In the five-match test series against West Indies, Gavaskar scored 774 runs with an average of 154.80.

The highlight of the series was his 124 and a brilliant 220 in the final test. During that historic series, Gavaskar also struck four centuries and three half-centuries in eight innings, which helped India win the five-match test series by 1-0.

Read Also | Youngest Cricketers to lead India in Tests

#2. Sunil Gavaskar | 732 in 1978-79 vs West Indies

Sunil Gavaskar is the only Indian batter to have scored over 700 runs in a test series, that too for two times in his career. During the six-match test series against West Indies at home in 1978-79, Gavaskar slammed a total of 732 runs in nine innings with an unbelievable average of 91.50. This is also a record for an Indian captain in a test series.

The little master slammed four centuries and one half-century with a best of 205 and helped India win that six-match series by 1-0.

Read Also | Indian Captains to record two hundreds in a Test match

#3 Shubman Gill | 722* in 2025 vs England

In the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar series 2025, the current Indian test captain has scored 722 runs in 4 test matches so far. In his first test series as a captain, Shubman Gill first broke the record for the highest test score by an Indian captain and then went on to equal the record for most test centuries in a series (4). 

Gill is currently the third batter in test history to score 4 test centuries as a captain in a single series, alongside Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar. Till now, Gill has scored 722 runs at an average of 90.25 and has converted every fifty into a ton. He will get two more innings to break Sunil Gavaskar's record.

He is now the third on the list of players with the most runs for India in a test series.

Read Also | Every record Shubman Gill broke during the ENG vs IND, 2nd test at Edgbaston

#4 Yashasvi Jaiswal | 712 in 2024 vs England

Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal ended up as the leading run-scorer of the recently concluded IND vs ENG 2024 test series with 712 runs in five matches. He struck two double hundreds and three fifties in the test series.

The 22-year-old became the second batter after legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar to score 700 or more runs in a test series.

Read Also | Indian Captains to Score Double Tons in Test Cricket: Shubman Gill joins an elite list

#5 Virat Kohli | 692 in 2014-15 vs Australia

King Kohli has smashed more than 1500 test runs against the mighty Aussies. However, his career-best performance against the Australian side came in the four-match test series in 2014-15 on Australian soil. The right-handed batter fought alone and ended the series with 692 runs in four matches at an average of 86.50, including four centuries and one half-century.

His best score was 169 in that series. Despite his brilliant performance, India lost the series 2-0.

Read Also | Most successful Test captains from India

#6 Virat Kohli | 655 in 2016 vs England

During the England vs India 2016/17 test series, Virat Kohli brought out his best against the English side. During the five-match series, the former Indian skipper hammered 655 runs, including two centuries and two half-centuries, with the highest score of 235 with a huge average of 109.16 in eight innings.

Kohli's outstanding performance helped India win the five-match series 4-0.

Note: The article was first written by Abishek Goswami and then was updated by Koushik Biswas.

Indian cricket team management suffered major setbacks ahead of the ENG vs IND, 4th test in Manchester, starting from Wednesday. Two Indian pacers, Akash Deep and Ashdeep Singh, have been ruled out of the 4th test along with all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.

With three players already ruled out due to injuries, Shubman Gill and company will have to find solutions within the squad to name a strong playing XI at Old Trafford. 

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who was hit on his bowling hand, needed stitches. As per the reports of the Indian Express on Sunday, the Medium Pacer will need at least 10 days to recover. This has already ruled him out of the fourth test, and he is unlikely to return for the final test starting on 31st July.

As per the same report by The Indian Express, another pacer, Akash Deep, who was India's hero in their first-ever Test win in Birmingham, has issues with his groin and back. The Indian team management does not want to take risks with his injuries, and thus, he will be monitored as a precaution.

On the other hand, Hindustan Times reported that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy suffered an injury during the gym session on Sunday. So he is also ruled out of the fourth test at Old Trafford Stadium. 

In the situation where India are trailing by 1-2 in the Test series and needs to win the 4th test, to be in contention to win the series, Gautam Gambhir and company will have to dig deep to find solutions.

Here are the solutions India can go for during the 4th test. 

#1 Bumrah, Siraj, Shardul, and who?

With both Akashdeep and Arshdeep Singh being ruled out, there is certainty that Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj will be India's leading pacers in the fourth test. Although our questions on the workload management of both those pacers, they will have to be at their best if India wants to bring balance to the series. 

Now, with Nitish Kumar Reddy's injury, India will have to go back to Shardul Thakur, who played in the first test in Leeds. The Mumbai all-rounder only scored 4 runs and took two wickets in that match. 

But if India wants to go for another pacer, they will have the option of Prasidh Krishna and newcomer Anshul Kamboj. Krishna, who did not do very well in the first two test matches, might not be brought back. In that case, Kamboj, who has done well in the first-class games he has played so far, is likely to get his test cap.

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#2 Should Kuldeep Yadav play?

Now, this has been an inclusion that Indian fans have been waiting for from the first test. Kuldeep, who last featured in test matches for India in 2024 against New Zealand at home, can bring the ex-factor in the bowling lineup. But this will leave the batting lineup a bit thin. 

Since Gautam Gambhir has always looked to go for that added batting cushion, it will be hard for Kuldeep to find his place. Even if he plays, will India look to sacrifice Washington Sundar? This would be a very hard question to answer.

#3 Jurel to keep, Pant to play as a specialist batter

Along with these three injuries, we had already reported that Rishabh Pant has not recovered fully from the finger injury he suffered during the Lord's Test. In that case, Dhruv Jurel, who kept wicket at Lord's, is likely to play as a wicket keeper while Rishabh Pant could play as only a specialist batter.

If Jurel comes in, India can leave Shardul out and bring Kuldeep Yadav into the playing XI. However, it will only depend on the pitch condition.

ENG vs IND, 4th test: India's possible lineup

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

South African batter Aiden Markram has won the ICC Men's Player of the Month for June 2025. Meanwhile, West Indies captain Hayley Matthews won the ICC Women's Player of the Month for June 2025. 

Markram awarded for ton in WTC final

Markram, who scored 136 off 207 balls and featured in a 147-run third wicket stand with captain Temba Bavuma in a successful chase of 282 in the World Test Championship 2025 final at Lord's. 

The South African opener helped South Africa win an ICC Title for the first time since the Champions Trophy in 1998. He also picked up a wicket in each inning of the final. 

Markram defeated Kagiso Rabada and Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka to win the ICC Men's Player of the Month for June 2025. 

 "It is a privilege to receive this award. To contribute to an ICC World Test Championship win for our team and South Africa is something that means a lot to me.

“Winning the final at Lord's is a historic moment for South African cricket, and it is something we will all remember forever. This victory was only possible due to the combined efforts of the entire team, with crucial contributions from KG (Kagiso Rabada) and Tembs (Temba Bavuma)," Markram said.

Read Also | ICC U19 World Cup 2024: Current Dream World ODI XI From Past U19 Stars

Matthews became the second player to win four Player of the Month Awards

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews, who had won the award in November 2021, October 2023 and April 2024, won the award for June 2025, beating South Africa’s Tazmin Brits and teammate Afy Fletcher. She became only the second player after Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, to win the fourth ICC Women's Player of the Month Award.

Matthews scored 104 runs in the three ODIs against South Africa, including a half-century in the third match. She also picked up four wickets in the series. She then continued her form in the T20Is, winning the Player of the Series award, with two fifties in an aggregate of 147 runs and two wickets.

West Indies went on to win the T20I series by 2-1.

 “It’s an honour to receive the Player of the Month award again. I’ve been pleased with my form recently, but more importantly, it’s been great to contribute to the team’s success—especially in a hard-fought T20I series against South Africa.

"Recognition like this is appreciated, but my focus remains on what’s ahead. There’s a lot more I want to achieve, both personally and with this team. We’re heading in the right direction, and I’m excited about where we can go from here,” Matthews expressed.