Who Has the Highest Wickets in ODI Cricket? (Complete List)

Bowlers win matches, but only a few become legends. When fans discuss the highest wickets in ODI format, certain names always dominate the conversation. This record isn’t about one lucky spell. It’s built through years of skill, patience, and match-winning performances. In this guide, we’ll break down the complete highest wickets in ODI career list, along with tournament and country-specific rankings. Stick around, because these numbers tell some incredible cricketing stories.

Table of Contents

What Does the Highest Wickets in ODI List Actually Tell Us?

All bowlers aspire to make a difference in the format. Even the list of the highest wickets in ODI cricket will tell us who was the batter of the decade. It also unveils the changes in bowling styles throughout the years.

Other players on this list are all-rounders, pacers and spinners. This way it is a complete account of how great ODI bowling is. We’ll start with the entire numbers and then consider the narratives of the same.

Full List: Highest Wickets in ODI Career

Below is the complete table of the leading wicket-takers across ODI history.

Rank	Player	Span	Mat	Wkts	Best	Avg	Econ	SR
1	M Muralidaran (SL)	1993-2011	350	534	7/30	23.08	3.93	35.22
2	Wasim Akram (PAK)	1984-2003	356	502	5/15	23.52	3.89	36.22
3	Waqar Younis (PAK)	1989-2003	262	416	7/36	23.84	4.68	30.52
4	WPUJC Vaas (SL)	1994-2008	322	400	8/19	27.53	4.18	39.43
5	Shahid Afridi (PAK)	1996-2015	398	395	7/12	34.51	4.62	44.73
6	SM Pollock (SA)	1996-2008	303	393	6/35	24.50	3.67	39.97
7	GD McGrath (AUS)	1993-2007	250	381	7/15	22.02	3.88	34.04
8	B Lee (AUS)	2000-2012	221	380	5/22	23.36	4.76	29.43
9	SL Malinga (SL)	2004-2019	226	338	6/38	28.87	5.35	32.35
10	A Kumble (IND)	1990-2007	271	337	6/12	30.89	4.30	43.01
11	ST Jayasuriya (SL)	1989-2011	445	323	6/29	36.75	4.78	46.04
12	Shakib Al Hasan (BAN)	2006-2023	247	317	5/29	29.52	4.46	39.66
13	J Srinath (IND)	1991-2003	229	315	5/23	28.08	4.44	37.88
14	DL Vettori (NZ)	1997-2015	295	305	5/7	31.71	4.12	46.09
15	SK Warne (AUS)	1993-2005	194	293	5/33	25.73	4.25	36.32
16	Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK)	1995-2003	169	288	5/20	21.78	4.29	30.45
17	AB Agarkar (IND)	1998-2007	191	288	6/42	27.85	5.07	32.93
18	Z Khan (IND)	2000-2012	200	282	5/42	29.43	4.93	35.80
19	JH Kallis (SA)	1996-2014	328	273	5/30	31.79	4.84	39.37
20	AA Donald (SA)	1991-2003	164	272	6/23	21.78	4.15	31.47
21	Mashrafe Mortaza (BAN)	2001-2020	220	270	6/26	32.93	4.88	40.45
22	JM Anderson (ENG)	2002-2015	194	269	5/23	29.22	4.92	35.62
23	Abdul Razzaq (PAK)	1996-2011	265	269	6/35	31.83	4.69	40.67
24	Harbhajan Singh (IND)	1998-2015	236	269	5/31	33.35	4.31	46.39
25	M Ntini (SA)	1998-2009	173	266	6/22	24.65	4.53	32.65
26	N Kapil Dev (IND)	1978-1994	225	253	5/43	27.45	3.71	44.27
27	MA Starc (AUS)	2010-2025	130	247	6/28	23.58	5.26	26.87
28	Shoaib Akhtar (PAK)	1998-2011	163	247	6/16	24.97	4.76	31.43
29	AU Rashid (ENG)	2009-2026	162	242	5/27	31.42	5.62	33.51
30	KD Mills (NZ)	2001-2015	170	240	5/25	27.02	4.72	34.29
31	MG Johnson (AUS)	2005-2015	153	239	6/31	25.26	4.83	31.33
32	HH Streak (ZIM)	1993-2005	189	239	5/32	29.82	4.51	39.61
33	D Gough (ENG)	1994-2006	159	235	5/44	26.42	4.39	36.04
34	RA Jadeja (IND)	2009-2026	210	232	5/33	36.54	4.88	44.84
35	CA Walsh (WI)	1985-2000	205	227	5/1	30.47	3.83	47.67
36	CEL Ambrose (WI)	1988-2000	176	225	5/17	24.12	3.48	41.56
37	TG Southee (NZ)	2008-2023	161	221	7/33	33.70	5.53	36.53
38	Rashid Khan (AFG)	2015-2026	120	214	7/18	19.92	4.25	28.07
39	TA Boult (NZ)	2012-2023	114	211	7/34	24.38	4.99	29.28
40	Abdur Razzak (BAN)	2004-2014	153	207	5/29	29.29	4.56	38.47
41	Mohammed Shami (IND)	2013-2025	108	206	7/57	24.05	5.58	25.85
42	CJ McDermott (AUS)	1985-1996	138	203	5/44	24.71	4.03	36.75
43	CZ Harris (NZ)	1990-2004	250	203	5/42	37.50	4.28	52.54
44	CL Cairns (NZ)	1991-2006	215	201	5/42	32.80	4.84	40.63
45	DJ Bravo (WI)	2004-2014	164	199	6/43	29.51	5.41	32.71
46	KMDN Kulasekara (SL)	2003-2017	184	199	5/22	33.92	4.90	41.52
47	A Zampa (AUS)	2016-2026	121	198	5/35	29.33	5.52	31.86
48	DW Steyn (SA)	2005-2019	125	196	6/39	25.95	4.87	31.91
49	BKV Prasad (IND)	1994-2001	161	196	5/27	32.30	4.67	41.47
50	SR Waugh (AUS)	1986-2002	325	195	4/33	34.67	4.56	45.55
51	Kuldeep Yadav (IND)	2017-2026	121	194	6/25	27.04	5.07	31.97
52	Mustafizur Rahman (BAN)	2015-2026	124	193	6/43	26.30	5.15	30.61
53	CL Hooper (WI)	1987-2003	227	193	4/34	36.05	4.36	49.60
54	L Klusener (SA)	1996-2004	171	192	6/49	29.95	4.70	38.20
55	M Morkel (SA)	2007-2018	117	188	5/21	25.32	4.95	30.63
56	CRD Fernando (SL)	2001-2012	147	187	6/27	30.20	5.20	34.79
57	Saeed Ajmal (PAK)	2008-2015	113	184	5/24	22.72	4.18	32.60
58	Imran Khan (PAK)	1974-1992	175	182	6/14	26.61	3.89	40.99
59	Aaqib Javed (PAK)	1988-1998	163	182	7/37	31.43	4.28	44.02
60	Umar Gul (PAK)	2003-2016	130	179	6/42	29.34	5.19	33.87
61	SCJ Broad (ENG)	2006-2016	121	178	5/23	30.13	5.26	34.32
62	Mohammad Nabi (AFG)	2009-2026	178	177	5/17	32.80	4.32	45.50
63	NLTC Perera (SL)	2009-2021	166	175	6/44	32.80	5.83	33.71
64	NW Bracken (AUS)	2001-2009	116	174	5/47	24.36	4.41	33.09
65	Imran Tahir (SA)	2011-2019	107	173	7/45	24.83	4.65	32.02
66	JDP Oram (NZ)	2001-2012	160	173	5/26	29.17	4.38	39.94
67	IK Pathan (IND)	2004-2012	120	173	5/27	29.72	5.26	33.84
68	CR Woakes (ENG)	2011-2023	122	173	6/45	30.01	5.43	33.16
69	MJ Henry (NZ)	2014-2025	95	172	5/30	24.98	5.21	28.75
70	A Flintoff (ENG)	1999-2009	141	169	5/19	24.38	4.39	33.27
71	K Rabada (SA)	2015-2025	106	168	6/16	27.45	5.08	32.40
72	SR Watson (AUS)	2002-2015	190	168	4/36	31.79	4.95	38.48
73	CH Gayle (WI)	1999-2019	301	167	5/46	35.48	4.78	44.45
74	Mushtaq Ahmed (PAK)	1989-2003	144	161	5/36	33.29	4.26	46.85
75	JO Holder (WI)	2013-2023	138	159	5/27	36.96	5.50	40.26
76	Sir RJ Hadlee (NZ)	1973-1990	115	158	5/25	21.56	3.30	39.12
77	Shoaib Malik (PAK)	1999-2019	287	158	4/19	39.18	4.66	50.36
78	MD Marshall (WI)	1980-1992	136	157	4/18	26.96	3.53	45.70
79	M Prabhakar (IND)	1984-1996	130	157	5/33	28.87	4.27	40.50
80	A Nehra (IND)	2001-2011	120	157	6/23	31.72	5.19	36.63
81	GB Hogg (AUS)	1996-2008	123	156	5/32	26.84	4.51	35.66
82	R Ashwin (IND)	2010-2023	116	156	4/25	33.20	4.93	40.40
83	S Lamichhane (NEP)	2018-2026	74	154	6/11	19.25	4.37	26.38
84	SR Tendulkar (IND)	1989-2012	463	154	5/32	44.48	5.10	52.29
85	BAW Mendis (SL)	2008-2015	87	152	6/13	21.86	4.80	27.32
86	UDU Chandana (SL)	1994-2007	147	151	5/61	31.90	4.70	40.67
87	JJ Bumrah (IND)	2016-2026	90	150	6/19	23.60	4.58	30.89

Muralitharan simply figures as a casual head of this list, and the list includes Wasim Akram, one of the most popular names amongst the fans who are obsessed with the research of the highest wickets in ODI cricket.

Wasim Akram: The Bowler Who Redefined Swing

No one talks about the highest wickets in ODI history without excluding Wasim Akram. He’s known worldwide as the Sultan of Swing. Interestingly, he was even seen by Javed Miandad in the nets and not in any academy.

Akram made his debut in 1984 and continued to play till 2003. Throughout this period, he collected 502 wickets out of the total 356 matches. He had an average credit record of 23.52 and an economy rate of an astounding 3.89 in bowling.

His Peak Years Tell the Real Story

The era of 1992-1999 saw Akram bowling in his best days. He swung and swung in reverse so much better. Therefore, even batters could hardly play him in the moments of death.

This was as high as 5/15 against Zimbabwe all the way back in 1993. Additionally, he also had four five-wicket hauls in his career. A curious accomplishment of a fast bowler at this time.

The 1992 World Cup Final Moment

All the cricket-loving fans will recall the spell of Akram in the World Cup final in 1992. Pakistan was playing England at Melbourne, and the match appeared to be a tense one. Then, Akram bowled two magical deliveries back to back.

First he struck out Allan Lamb, telling him. Then in quick succession, he scalped Chris Lewis with a scalding inswinger. The two balls virtually brought Pakistan its first World Cup championship.

Full List: Highest Wickets in ODI World Cup

World Cups bring extra pressure. So, performing well in these tournaments takes real skill. Here’s the complete table for the highest wickets in ODI world cup.

Rank	Player	Team	Span	Mat	Wkts	Best	Avg	Econ
1	Glenn McGrath	Australia	1996-2007	39	71	7/15	18.19	3.96
2	Muttiah Muralitharan	Sri Lanka	1996-2011	40	68	4/19	19.63	3.88
3	Mitchell Starc	Australia	2015-2023	28	65	6/28	19.29	5.15
4	Lasith Malinga	Sri Lanka	2007-2019	29	56	6/38	22.87	5.51
5	Mohammed Shami	India	2015-2023	18	55	7/57	13.52	5.13
6	Wasim Akram	Pakistan	1987-2003	38	55	5/28	23.83	4.04
7	Trent Boult	New Zealand	2015-2023	29	53	5/27	25.54	4.92
8	Chaminda Vaas	Sri Lanka	1996-2007	31	49	6/25	21.22	3.97
9	Zaheer Khan	India	2003-2011	23	44	4/42	20.22	4.47
10	Javagal Srinath	India	1992-2003	34	44	4/30	27.81	4.32
11	Shakib Al Hasan	Bangladesh	2007-2023	36	43	5/29	36.06	5.14
12	Tim Southee	New Zealand	2011-2023	22	41	7/33	27.07	5.68
13	Imran Tahir	South Africa	2011-2019	22	40	5/45	21.17	4.41
14	Jasprit Bumrah	India	2019-2023	20	38	4/39	19.57	4.23
15	AA Donald	South Africa	1992-2003	25	38	4/17	24.02	4.17
16	Jacob Oram	New Zealand	2003-2011	23	36	4/39	21.33	4.21
17	Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	2003-2015	32	36	4/18	32.44	4.14
18	Brett Lee	Australia	2003-2011	17	35	5/42	17.97	4.57
19	Wahab Riaz	Pakistan	2011-2019	20	35	5/46	26.45	5.55
20	GB Hogg	Australia	2003-2007	21	34	4/27	19.23	4.12
21	Imran Khan	Pakistan	1975-1992	28	34	4/37	19.26	3.86
22	Shaheen Shah Afridi	Pakistan	2019-2023	14	34	6/35	21.02	5.57
23	Shaun Tait	Australia	2007-2011	18	34	4/39	21.50	5.35
24	Pat Cummins	Australia	2015-2023	23	34	3/33	30.05	5.41
25	Shane Warne	Australia	1996-1999	17	32	4/29	19.50	3.83
26	Chris Harris	New Zealand	1992-2003	28	32	4/7	26.90	4.43
27	Anil Kumble	India	1996-2007	18	31	4/32	22.83	4.08
28	Lockie Ferguson	New Zealand	2019-2023	16	31	4/37	22.90	5.15
29	Shaun Pollock	South Africa	1996-2007	31	31	5/36	31.29	3.60
30	Chris Woakes	England	2015-2023	24	31	4/54	31.54	5.50
31	Shane Bond	New Zealand	2003-2007	16	30	6/23	17.26	3.50
32	IT Botham	England	1979-1992	22	30	4/31	25.40	3.43
33	Shoaib Akhtar	Pakistan	1999-2011	19	30	4/46	25.50	5.13
34	Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	1999-2015	27	30	5/16	27.70	4.51
35	PAJ DeFreitas	England	1987-1996	22	29	3/28	25.58	3.95
36	Adam Zampa	Australia	2019-2023	15	28	4/8	26.82	5.82
37	Kapil Dev	India	1979-1992	26	28	5/43	31.85	3.76
38	Courtney Walsh	West Indies	1987-1999	17	27	4/25	20.25	3.46
39	Craig McDermott	Australia	1987-1996	17	27	5/44	22.18	4.02
40	Matt Henry	New Zealand	2015-2023	18	27	4/47	29.37	5.22
41	Steve Waugh	Australia	1987-1999	33	27	3/36	30.14	4.70
42	Ravindra Jadeja	India	2015-2023	21	27	5/33	30.70	4.60
43	Sanath Jayasuriya	Sri Lanka	1992-2007	38	27	3/12	39.25	4.83
44	JM Anderson	England	2003-2015	25	27	4/25	40.03	5.17
45	Morne Morkel	South Africa	2011-2015	14	26	3/33	19.46	4.66
46	Mushtaq Ahmed	Pakistan	1992-1996	15	26	3/16	21.11	4.06
47	AME Roberts	West Indies	1975-1983	16	26	3/32	21.23	3.24
48	Damien Fleming	Australia	1996-1999	16	26	5/36	22.42	4.37
49	Adil Rashid	England	2019-2023	20	26	3/42	36.11	5.46
50	MG Johnson	Australia	2011-2015	15	25	4/19	22.28	4.60
51	Mustafizur Rahman	Bangladesh	2019-2023	16	25	5/59	35.28	6.39
52	Curtly Ambrose	West Indies	1992-1999	17	24	3/28	20.79	3.03
53	Abdul Qadir	Pakistan	1983-1987	13	24	5/44	21.08	3.72
54	Manoj Prabhakar	India	1987-1996	19	24	4/19	26.66	4.40
55	Kagiso Rabada	South Africa	2019-2023	18	24	3/33	31.70	5.04
56	Mark Wood	England	2019-2023	17	24	3/18	33.83	5.65
57	Saqlain Mushtaq	Pakistan	1996-2003	14	23	5/35	21.47	4.39
58	A Flintoff	England	1999-2007	18	23	4/43	23.21	3.93
59	Dale Steyn	South Africa	2011-2015	14	23	5/50	23.39	4.67
60	Andre Russell	West Indies	2011-2019	14	23	4/49	25.04	5.75
61	Josh Hazlewood	Australia	2015-2023	16	23	4/35	27.17	4.59
62	JE Taylor	West Indies	2007-2015	14	23	3/15	27.56	5.21
63	TM Odoyo	Kenya	1996-2011	25	23	4/28	35.52	4.83
64	Sir RJ Hadlee	New Zealand	1975-1983	13	22	5/25	19.13	2.88
65	Sharma Madan Lal	India	1975-1983	11	22	4/20	19.36	3.66
66	Waqar Younis	Pakistan	1996-2003	13	22	4/26	21.18	5.00
67	Lance Klusener	South Africa	1999-2003	14	22	5/21	22.13	4.82
68	Mitchell Santner	New Zealand	2019-2023	20	22	5/59	35.09	4.83
69	Heath Streak	Zimbabwe	1996-2003	22	22	3/35	36.54	4.59
70	D Madushanka	Sri Lanka	2023-2023	9	21	5/80	25.00	6.70
71	Kuldeep Yadav	India	2019-2023	18	21	2/7	36.23	4.69
72	Mohammad Nabi	Afghanistan	2015-2023	24	21	4/30	40.47	4.72
73	Jacques Kallis	South Africa	1996-2011	36	21	3/26	43.04	4.28
74	Geoffrey Allott	New Zealand	1999-1999	9	20	4/37	16.25	3.70
75	Michael Holding	West Indies	1979-1983	11	20	4/33	17.05	2.94
76	G Coetzee	South Africa	2023-2023	8	20	4/44	19.80	6.23
77	Jofra Archer	England	2019-2019	11	20	3/27	23.05	4.57
78	Yuvraj Singh	India	2003-2011	23	20	5/31	23.10	4.99
79	Kemar Roach	West Indies	2011-2019	13	20	6/27	23.30	4.61
80	Abdur Razzak	Bangladesh	2007-2011	15	20	3/20	28.20	4.63
81	Harbhajan Singh	India	2003-2011	21	20	3/53	40.40	4.20
82	Roger Binny	India	1983-1987	9	19	4/29	20.10	4.02
83	AJ Hall	South Africa	2003-2007	12	19	5/18	23.05	4.42
84	Angelo Mathews	Sri Lanka	2011-2023	27	19	3/41	25.84	5.12
85	W Watson	New Zealand	1987-1992	14	19	3/37	30.05	4.32
86	Abdul Razzaq	Pakistan	1999-2011	22	19	3/25	31.15	4.22
87	Mashrafe Mortaza	Bangladesh	2003-2019	24	19	4/38	53.15	5.39
88	RGD Willis	England	1979-1983	11	18	4/11	17.50	2.66
89	Umesh Yadav	India	2015-2015	8	18	4/31	17.83	4.98
90	Umar Gul	Pakistan	2007-2011	11	18	3/30	19.11	4.11
91	Ashish Nehra	India	2003-2011	12	18	6/23	22.72	4.40
92	Hashan Tillakaratne	Sri Lanka	2007-2015	27	18	4/4	24.83	4.41
93	Ashantha De Mel	Sri Lanka	1983-1987	9	18	5/32	24.94	4.97
94	Ravichandran Ashwin	India	2011-2023	11	18	4/25	25.38	4.27
95	Roger Harper	West Indies	1987-1996	14	18	4/47	27.11	3.69
96	Aaqib Javed	Pakistan	1992-1996	15	18	3/21	28.72	4.15
97	MO Odumbe	Kenya	1996-2003	19	18	4/38	31.50	4.85
98	Gavin Larsen	New Zealand	1992-1999	19	18	3/16	33.27	3.52
99	Carl Hooper	West Indies	1987-2003	20	18	3/42	36.61	4.27
100	Chris Cairns	New Zealand	1992-2003	28	18	3/19	41.94	5.14

This is the chart headed by Glenn McGrath. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami has an excellent average of merely 13.52, which is very minimal. This has turned him into one of the finest bowlers each time the topic of the highest wicket in the ODI World Cup debate arises among fans and specialists.

In this case, Akram too played an influential part. In fact, his bilateral series are not the only ones in which he has been a steady player, as he has an impressive 55-plus wicket tally in 38 World Cup games.

Full List: Highest Wickets in ODI for India

The years have witnessed a number of match-winning bowlers in Indian cricket. And when we talk of the highest wickets of India in ODI, which will be the first thing that will cross your mind will be the name of Anil Kumble.

Rank	Player	Matches	Wickets	Best Figures	Economy
1	Anil Kumble	269	334	6/12	4.29
2	Javagal Srinath	229	315	5/23	4.44
3	Ajit Agarkar	191	288	6/42	5.07
4	Zaheer Khan	194	269	5/42	4.95
5	Harbhajan Singh	234	265	5/31	4.30
6	Kapil Dev	225	253	5/43	3.71
7	Ravindra Jadeja	204	231	5/33	4.85
8	Mohammed Shami	108	206	7/57	5.58
9	BKV Prasad	161	196	5/27	4.67
10	Kuldeep Yadav	113	181	6/25	4.99
11	Irfan Pathan	120	173	5/27	5.26
12	Manoj Prabhakar	130	157	5/33	4.27
13	Ravichandran Ashwin	116	156	4/25	4.93
14	Ashish Nehra	117	155	6/23	5.21
15	Sachin Tendulkar	463	154	5/32	5.10
16	Jasprit Bumrah	89	149	6/19	4.59
17	Bhuvneshwar Kumar	121	141	5/42	5.08
18	Ravishankar Shastri	150	129	5/15	4.21
19	Yuzvendra Chahal	72	121	6/42	5.26
20	Ishant Sharma	80	115	4/34	5.72
21	Yuvraj Singh	301	110	5/31	5.08
22	Umesh Yadav	75	106	4/31	6.01
23	Sourav Ganguly	308	100	5/16	5.06
24	Virender Sehwag	241	94	4/6	5.22
25	Hardik Pandya	94	91	4/24	5.60
26	MM Patel	70	86	4/29	4.95
27	Roger Binny	72	77	4/29	4.58
28	P Kumar	68	77	4/31	5.13
29	Sreesanth	53	75	6/55	6.07
30	Sharma Madan Lal	67	73	4/20	4.05
31	Axar Patel	68	72	3/24	4.49
32	Mohammed Siraj	44	71	6/21	5.18
33	RP Singh	58	69	4/35	5.48
34	Sunil Joshi	69	69	5/6	4.44
35	RR Singh	136	69	5/22	4.79
36	Chetan Sharma	65	67	3/22	4.94
37	Maninder Singh	59	66	4/22	3.95
38	Shardul Thakur	47	65	4/37	6.22
39	Amit Mishra	36	64	6/48	4.72
40	SLV Raju	53	63	4/46	4.36
41	Debashish Mohanty	45	57	4/56	4.99
42	Nikhil Chopra	39	46	5/21	4.20
43	Mohinder Amarnath	85	46	3/12	4.33
44	Vinay Kumar	31	38	4/30	5.94
45	Murali Kartik	37	37	6/27	5.07
46	Suresh Raina	226	36	3/34	5.11
47	RR Powar	31	34	3/24	4.65
48	Lakshmipathy Balaji	30	34	4/48	5.57
49	Yusuf Pathan	57	33	3/49	5.49
50	Piyush Chawla	25	32	4/23	5.10
51	Mohit Sharma	26	31	4/22	5.45
52	Arshad Ayub	32	31	5/21	4.12
53	M Prasidh Krishna	17	29	4/12	5.60
54	Rajesh Chauhan	35	29	3/29	4.46
55	Kedar Jadhav	73	27	3/23	5.15
56	Kris Srikkanth	146	25	5/27	5.40
57	A Kuruvilla	25	25	4/43	4.72
58	Harvinder Singh	16	24	3/44	5.32
59	Washington Sundar	23	24	3/30	4.84
60	Narendra Hirwani	18	23	4/43	4.49
61	Dilip Doshi	15	22	4/30	3.96
62	SK Sharma	23	22	5/26	4.98
63	Pragyan Ojha	18	21	4/38	4.46
64	Stuart Binny	14	20	6/4	5.37
65	Ajay Jadeja	196	20	3/3	5.25
66	DS Kulkarni	12	19	4/34	5.09
67	HH Kanitkar	34	17	2/22	4.78
68	R Vijay Bharadwaj	10	16	3/34	4.95
69	Deepak Chahar	13	16	3/27	5.75
70	BS Sandhu	22	16	3/27	4.12
71	KK Ahmed	11	15	3/13	5.81
72	Laxman Sivaramakrishnan	16	15	3/35	4.26
73	Sandeep Patil	45	15	2/28	4.09
74	Karsan Ghavri	19	15	3/40	4.11
75	AK Sharma	31	15	3/41	4.60

Kumble had captained 334 wickets in 269 games. Moreover, his rate of economy of 4.29 depicts the level of discipline in his bowling manner. Javagal Srinath is second, followed by Ajit Agarkar very closely.

This list of the highest wickets in ODIs for India also throws light on the current bowlers. Mohammed Shami already has 206 wickets but has fewer matches. His strike rate is among the highest rates that will be registered by Indian bowlers.

Why Wasim Akram’s Record Still Matters Today

Muralitharan then went way in passing the figure of Akram and he had 534 wickets. However, Akram revised statistics are spectacular as the quick bowler. ODIs feature greater overs and simple takes to spinners. But nothing was more than pace and swing which Akram had achieved his numbers.

In addition, he maintained a tight economy rate of 3.89 during a 20-year career. Generational Batters struggled with the reversing of his swing, that especially an old ball. The majority of legends like Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee have made it clear that they were learning his trick.

What Makes These Bowlers So Special?

A few common traits appear across every name on the highest wickets in ODI list. First, consistency matters more than occasional brilliance. Second, these bowlers adapted their skills as pitches and rules changed over time.

Third, most of them contributed with the bat too. For instance, Akram scored over 3,700 ODI runs. Similarly, Kapil Dev and Jadeja added valuable runs down the order. This all-round value made them irreplaceable for their teams.

Longevity Plays a Huge Role

Nobody reaches these numbers overnight. Akram played from 1984 to 2003. Kumble featured in ODIs between 1990 and 2007. Therefore, staying fit and relevant for that long takes serious dedication and skill.

Can Anyone Break These Records?

Modern bowlers play fewer ODIs due to packed T20 schedules. As a result, breaking Muralitharan’s 534-wicket record looks difficult right now. However, bowlers like Shami and Bumrah are climbing steadily.

Shami already holds an incredible average in World Cup matches. If he continues at this pace, his name could rise higher on both the highest wickets in ODI for India list and the broader career rankings.

Final Thoughts on Highest Wickets in ODI Records

The chase for highest wickets in ODI glory has given cricket some of its finest moments. Wasim Akram’s swing, Muralitharan’s spin, and Kumble’s precision each tell a different story. These bowlers rose under pressure and delivered when their teams needed them most.

These numbers aren’t just statistics. They represent years of hard work, skill, and passion for the game. As new bowlers emerge, the highest wickets in ODI charts will keep evolving. But for now, these legends remain the true kings of ODI bowling.