3 highest wicket-takers for India in ODIs without a 5-for
The Indian cricket team has seen its fair share of ups and downs in ODI cricket. After captain Kapil Dev led them to the 1983 World Cup win, future editions of the tournament were disappointing in comparison.
Indian cricket saw an upward curve in performances under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly, but a horror spell from Greg Chappell culminated in the team bowing out of the 2007 World Cup in embarrassing fashion.
However, under the leadership of MS Dhoni, India managed to win the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, establishing themselves as powerhouses in the 50-over format.
Their fantastic bowling attack does have a lot to do with their excellent performances in ODIs, but some bowlers have played many games without taking a 5-wicket haul. In this article, we take a look at the 3 highest wicket-takers for India in ODIs without a 5-for to their names.
Honourable Mentions: Virender Sehwag (94 wickets) and Munaf Patel (86 wickets)
#3 Umesh Yadav (106 wickets)
Umesh Yadav is one of India's new breed of express pacers but unfortunately for him, he has never taken a 5-wicket haul in ODIs despite picking up 106 wickets in 75 matches.
Over the course of his 10-year ODI career so far, Yadav has registered four 4-wicket hauls, with best figures of 4/31. He boasts of an economy rate of 6.01 and his strike rate is on the higher side, but that can be attributed to his pace and aggressive bowling.
The fast bowler picked up 18 wickets in India's run to the semi-final in the 2015 World Cup, finishing as the team's leading wicket-taker above the man who is #1 on this list.
Although he currently isn't a regular in the ODI team due to the presence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Yadav is in great shape and seems to have developed a better understanding of his own limitations as a bowler. We could see the Royal Challengers Bangalore quick claim a 5-wicket haul in ODIs when cricket resumes.