India’s 5 best T20I bowlers of all time: India played just a solitary T20I game before participating in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup. The format has rapidly evolved since. Indian bowlers more often than not play in batting-friendly conditions. The smaller boundaries challenge the bowlers endlessly.
Indian bowlers though have managed to hold their fort. They have time and again shown their prowess in deceiving the batters. India’s batsmen are celebrated largely but it’s their bowlers who have emerged as stars, especially in the past few years.
We look at India’s 5 best T20I bowlers of all time:
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[Qualification criteria – minimum 30 wickets]
#5 Ashish Nehra
He is one of the most underrated Indian T20I bowlers. Ashish Nehra’s injury concerns forced him to play just this format in the latter half of his career. Nehra played a crucial role in India’s 2016 T20 World Cup campaign. He had the knack of picking up crucial wickets.
Nehra had the ability to bounce back from the most challenging situations. He appeared unfazed in the most trying circumstances. Nehra picked up 34 wickets in 27 T20Is at an average of 22.29. He picked up a wicket every 17.2 balls conceding runs at just 7.73 per over.
#4 Ravichandran Ashwin
He played all the matches in the 2022 T20 World Cup. It was believed that Ravichandran Ashwin’s batting abilities kept Yuzvendra Chahal out of the playing XI. But Ashwin has better numbers in T20Is as compared to Chahal. Ashwin has picked up 72 wickets in 60 games at an average of 23.22.
Chahal averages 24.68 having picked up 91 wickets. Ashwin’s economy rate (6.90) is 1.23 points lesser compared to Chahal’s (8.13). It’s only in the strike rate where Chahal (18.1) scores over Ashwin (20.1). The off-spinner has contributed significantly to India’s World Cup campaigns across 5 editions, while Chahal has yet to play a single T20I World Cup game.
#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
The right-arm swing bowler was India’s leader of the pace attack in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had one forgettable game in the semis and people have written him off. He has one of the best numbers in T20Is among pacers. Kumar has picked up 90 wickets in 87 games at an average of 23.10. His ability to bowl well at the death despite being low on pace makes him special. Kumar’s strike rate is 19.9 while his economy rate of 6.96 is top draw!
#2 Kuldeep Yadav
He has to be India’s lead spinner in white-ball formats. Kuldeep Yadav is a game-changer on any given day. The left-arm chinaman has picked up 46 wickets in just 27 games so far. He isn’t someone whom the batters find easy to pick. His variations were always a strength and after having added a yard of extra pace, Yadav seems to be on a roll. He averages 14.21 (best on this list) and strikes every 12.7 (best on this list). His economy rate of 6.70 dispels the myth that wrist spinners are always expensive.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah
He is not just India’s one of the world’s finest T20I bowlers of all time. Jasprit Bumrah made his debut in 2016 and soon went to become the leader of the attack. Bumrah’s absence at the 2022 T20 World Cup was clearly felt. Teams often tend to play out Bumrah hence making his job of picking up a wicket even more difficult. Bumrah averages 20.22 having picked up 70 wickets in 60 games so far. His strike rate of 18.3 is impressive while his economy rate of 6.62 (best on this list) is outstanding!
