India and England are set to meet in a highly anticipated match this 2023 ODI World Cup in Lucknow on Sunday, October 29. Both teams entered the tournament as favorites, but only one has truly delivered. India, also known as the Men in Blue, has masterfully breezed through an unbeaten five-game streak to kick-start their campaign. On the other hand, England, despite being the defending champions, has proven to be the biggest letdown of the tournament so far. They’ve managed to secure just one win out of their five games, putting them on the verge of elimination.
Over the years, some of India’s most accomplished pacers have troubled the English batters the most in World Cups. It makes for terrific viewing when the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami come steaming in at the all-out attacking England batters. As we look ahead to the enthralling contest, let us deep dive into India’s three highest wicket-takers against England in ODI World Cups.
1. Kapil Dev – 7 Wickets
It is no surprise that Kapil Dev, one of the finest all-rounders and pacers in cricket history, tops India in ODI World Cup wickets versus England.
In addition to 253 ODI and 434 Test wickets, Kapil was also effective with the ball in World Cups, taking 28 wickets in 26 games. In three ODI World Cup appearances against England, the former right-arm bowler took seven wickets.
Kapil’s first and most important session came in the semi-finals of the 1983 World Cup, when he reduced England to a below-par 213 in 11 overs. It aided India’s smooth run-chase into the final, when they defeated the West Indian juggernaut to win their maiden title.
In the 1987 semi-final, Kapil demonstrated his death-bowling skills, finishing with 2/38 in 10 overs. However, his unrelenting spell was in futile as India was defeated by 35 runs and exited the competition.
Kapil’s final ODI World Cup match was against England in 1992, when he repeated his five-year-ago feat with statistics of 2/38 in ten overs.
Unfortunately, Team India was unable to complete a 237-run chase and lost by nine runs in what turned out to be Kapil’s final World Cup campaign.
2. Ashish Nehra – 6 Wickets
Ashish Nehra only needed one game to become India’s second-leading wicket-taker in 50-over World Cups against England.
During the 2003 World Cup group stage match against England, the left-arm pacer delivered perhaps the finest stint by an Indian bowler in a World Cup game. The Men in Blue pushed through to a competitive 250/9 in Durban after a disappointing start to their season.
With the game on the line, Nehra put on a show of swing and seam bowling, destroying the hitters to end with figures of 6/23 in 10 overs. It is among the top eight finest bowling numbers by an Indian bowler in ODIs and World Cups overall.
Nehra’s outstanding bowling performance included crucial wickets of Michael Vaughan, Nasser Hussain, Alec Stewart, and Paul Collingwood, among others.
India triumphed by 68 runs and went on to get to the ODI World Cup final.
Even though Nehra didn’t play many games for India in ODI World Cups, his performance was still remarkable. He took 18 wickets in just 12 matches, averaging 22.72. Nehra was also instrumental in Team India’s victory in the 2011 World Cup, contributing 2/33 to secure a semi-final win against Pakistan.
3. Javagal Srinath – 5 Wickets
Javagal Srinath, one of India’s most accomplished pacers, delivered a handful of critical stints against England throughout his ODI World Cup tenure.
The right-arm pacer, who has one of the smoothest run-ups and bowling action, took five wickets in three games versus England at an economy rate of less than four runs per over.
Despite India’s nine-run defeat, Srinath’s maiden World Cup game came against England in 1992, and the pacer excelled with figures of 2/47.
The renowned bowler then played a key part in India’s World Cup triumphs against England in 1999 and 2003. In a game where Super Six qualification was on the line in 1999, Srinath took the key wicket of Graham Thorpe and finished with statistics of 2/25 to enable India win by 63 runs.
While Nehra received the most attention in 2003, it was Srinath’s first stint with the new ball that set the tone. He subsequently returned to take England’s best scorer, Andrew Flintoff, for 64 runs, propelling India to an 82-run triumph.
In his successful career, Srinath played 34 ODI World Cup games and took 44 wickets at an average of 27.81 and a 4.32 economy rate.
Despite the fact that Zaheer Khan and Mohammed Shami both took five World Cup wickets against England, Srinath gets the nod because to his higher economy rate.