The upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, slated for October-November later this yea, is the 8th edition of the competition. And for that, India are considered as one of the strong favourites given their recent form – India have won 6 of their last 7 T20Is series with the other series, vs South Africa, drawn.
The winners of the inaugural T20 World Cup, however, have suffered only disappointments and heartbreaks in the next six editions after 2007. They failed to reach the semis in four of the next six T20 World Cups; lost the final in 2014 and the semi-final in 2016. In terms of overall match wins at the T20 World Cups, India are third on the list with 23 wins in 38 matches, behind only Sri Lanka (27) and Pakistan (24).
While it is the Indian batters who have ran the show, the bowlers too have contributed significantly in the team’s success.
Here are India’s top 5 leading wicket-takers in the T20 World Cup:
Ravichandran Ashwin – 26 wickets
Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is India’s highest wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup- having snapped up 26 wickets in 18 matches in the four editions of the competition he’s participated in since 2012.
His bowling average of 15 and economy of 6 are amongst the best in the tournament’s history. He recorded his best of 4/11 in T20 WC in 2014 vs Australia.
Ashwin, who made his return after four years to the T20 side last year in the UAE, is also likely to feature in this year’s event in Australia.
Ravindra Jadeja – 21 wickets
Ashwin’s spin partner-in-crime, Ravindra Jadeja, has taken 21 wickets in 22 T20 World Cup matches, his main role being of keeping things tight as reflected by the economy of 7.14.
Jadeja’s first T20 World Cup was in 2009 and by last year’s tournament, which was his fifth T20 WC, he has become India’s key and indispensable player in the eleven.
Harbhajan Singh – 16 wickets
Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh snared 16 wickets in 19 matches in the four T20 World Cups he featured in from 2007 to 2012; he was part of the squad in 2016 but didn’t get to play a game. His T20I career best of 4/12 came in the 2012 T20 WC vs England.
Irfan Pathan – 16 wickets
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan took 16 wickets in 15 matches at the T20 WC. His best of 3/16 came in the biggest game of all: 2007 T20 World Cup final vs Pakistan in Johannesburg. Irfan Pathan’s last T20I for India was in the 2012 T20 WC.
Ashish Nehra – 15 wickets
Veteran seamer Ashish Nehra had a late-career swing in the T20Is: he played in the 2010 T20 WC and then, after impressive shows in the IPL, he featured in the 2016 editions – picking a total of 15 wickets in 10 matches in the two tournaments.
Nehra registered a bowling average of 17.93 and an economy of 6.89, with a best of 3/19.
