The all-time greatest Indian bowler - A statistical analysis
India has been predominantly a batting powerhouse. Yet, India has produced some fine bowlers, both spinners and pacers. It is hard to believe that once an Indian held the record for the most number of wickets in Test cricket (Kapil Dev held the record till Courtney Walsh broke it in 2000).
To find out the best bowler India has produced, let us consider the top 5 highest wicket takers for India in ODIs and Tests combined.
1) Anil Kumble (956 wickets)
2) Kapil Dev (687 wickets)
3) Harbhajan Singh (665 wickets)
4) Zaheer Khan (573 wickets)
5) Javagal Srinath (551 wickets)
1. Economy rate
| Player | Economy rate |
| Anil Kumble | 4.30 |
| Kapil Dev | 3.71 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 4.30 |
| Zaheer Khan | 4.93 |
| Javagal Srinath | 4.44 |
Here, to calculate the points each player gets for economy rate, the formula used is
[100-economy rate of the player]/[100-least economic rate among the players] * 10
Points Table
| Player | Points |
| Anil Kumble | 9.93 |
| Kapil Dev | 10 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 9.93 |
| Zaheer Khan | 9.87 |
| Javagal Srinath | 9.92 |
2. Strike rate
| Player | Strike rate |
| Anil Kumble | 43 |
| Kapil Dev | 44.2 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 46.5 |
| Zaheer Khan | 35.8 |
| Javagal Srinath | 37.8 |
Here, to calculate the points each player gets for strike rate, the formula used is
[100-strike rate of player]/[100-least strike rate among the players] * 10
Points table
| Player | Points |
| Anil Kumble | 8.87 |
| Kapil Dev | 8.69 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 8.64 |
| Zaheer Khan | 10 |
| Javagal Srinath | 9.68 |
3. Bowling average
| Player | Bowling Average |
| Anil Kumble | 30.89 |
| Kapil Dev | 27.45 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 33.40 |
| Zaheer Khan | 29.43 |
| Javagal Srinath | 28.08 |
Here, to calculate the points each player gets for bowling average, the formula used is
[100-average of the player]/[100-least average among the players] * 10
Points table
| Player | Points |
| Anil Kumble | 9.52 |
| Kapil Dev | 10 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 9.17 |
| Zaheer Khan | 9.72 |
| Javagal Srinath | 9.91 |
4. Ratio of Man-of-the-match awards won to number of matches played
Even a player’s contribution to team’s victory must be considered. Which, according to me is reflected in the man of the match awards won. So, if one sees the ratio of man of the match awards won to the number of matches played, one might get some idea of the bowler’s contribution towards his team’s victory.
| Player | Ratio |
| Anil Kumble | 0.022 |
| Kapil Dev | 0.008 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 0.013 |
| Zaheer Khan | 0.030 |
| Javagal Srinath | 0.021 |
Here, the points for the above ratio are calculated by
Ratio for the player/highest ratio among the players
Points table
| Player | Points |
| Anil Kumble | 7.33 |
| Kapil Dev | 2.66 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 4.33 |
| Zaheer Khan | 10 |
| Javagal Srinath | 7 |
Now, adding the points given for these 4 parameters, we get the final total for each player as follows:
Total points
| Player | Points |
| Anil Kumble | 35.65 |
| Kapil Dev | 31.35 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 32.07 |
| Zaheer Khan | 39.59 |
| Javagal Srinath | 36.51 |
From the above calculations, statistically, Zaheer Khan is the best ODI bowler India has produced.
1. Strike rate
| Player | Strike rate |
| Anil Kumble | 65.9 |
| Kapil Dev | 63.9 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 68.1 |
| Zaheer Khan | 58.6 |
| Javagal Srinath | 64 |
Points table
| Player | Points |
| Anil Kumble | 8.23 |
| Kapil Dev | 8.71 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 7.70 |
| Zaheer Khan | 10 |
| Javagal Srinath | 8.69 |
2. Bowling average
| Player | Average |
| Anil Kumble | 29.65 |
| Kapil Dev | 29.64 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 32.22 |
| Zaheer Khan | 32.06 |
| Javagal Srinath | 30.49 |
Points table
| Player | Points |
| Anil Kumble | 9.99 |
| Kapil Dev | 10 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 9.63 |
| Zaheer Khan | 9.65 |
| Javagal Srinath | 9.87 |
3. Ratio of man-of-the-match awards to number of matches played
| Player | Ratio |
| Anil Kumble | 0.075 |
| Kapil Dev | 0.061 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 0.061 |
| Zaheer Khan | 0.058 |
| Javagal Srinath | 0.104 |
Points table
| Player | Points |
| Anil Kumble | 7.21 |
| Kapil Dev | 5.86 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 5.86 |
| Zaheer Khan | 5.57 |
| Javagal Srinath | 10 |
Now, we add the points for these 3 parameters in Tests:
Total Points
| Player | points |
| Anil Kumble | 25.43 |
| Kapil Dev | 24.57 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 23.19 |
| Zaheer Khan | 25.22 |
| Javagal Srinath | 28.56 |
Surprisingly, according to above calculations, Javagal Srinath has been India’s best Test bowler, thanks to the more number of match-winning performances from the pacer.
Points table (Test + ODI combined)
| Player | Points |
| Anil Kumble | 61.08 |
| Kapil Dev | 55.92 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 55.26 |
| Zaheer Khan | 64.81 |
| Javagal Srinath | 65.07 |
Statistically, Javagal Srinath is the best bowler India has ever produced, with Zaheer Khan being a close second. Many prominent bowlers like Bishen Singh Bedi could not make it to the list as they did not satisfy the criteria required.