Team India will compete against bitter rivals Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. It will be the third match for both teams in the current ICC ODI World Cup.
India and Pakistan have got off to a flying start, winning both their games. While the Indian team thrashed Australia and Afghanistan, the Pakistan team got the better of Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.
With two wins from as many games, India and Pakistan are ranked third and fourth in the points table, respectively. South Africa and New Zealand occupy the top two spots.
Thus, Saturday’s highly anticipated game carries a lot of importance as both teams will want to end on the winning side and climb the rankings.
These two sides have produced nerve-wreaking contests whenever they have met each other. Rohit Sharma and company currently hold the edge, winning all seven meetings in the history of the mega event.
On that note, let us take a look at India’s three players with the highest number of wickets against Pakistan in One Day International World Cups.
3. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is the only spinner among the top three Indian ODI World Cup wicket-takers against Pakistan. Between the 1996 and 2003 World Cups, the former leg-spinner faced the Men in Green three times.
Kumble has five wickets in three games with an economy rate of 4.73. His best stats of 3/48 came during the 1996 World Cup at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
In their 50 overs, the Men in Blue batted first and achieved a competitive total of 287/8. Kumble shone with the ball as India successfully defended the total, bowling precise lines and lengths and keeping the scoreboard under control. Saleem Malik, Mushtaq Ahmed, and Ata-ur-Rehman were all dismissed by the leg spinner.
2. Javagal Srinath
Javagal Srinath, a former Indian speed bowler, is regarded as one of the finest fast bowlers to have represent India. For the Men in Blue, he has taken 315 wickets in 229 ODI matches, including seven four-wicket hauls and three fifers.
Srinath competed in four World Cups between 1992 and 2003. Over the years, the Karnataka-born cricketer has played four matches against Pakistan, taking seven wickets at a five-wicket economy rate.
Srinath’s best numbers against the Men in Blue were 3/37 in the 1999 ODI World Cup in Manchester. India knocked out Pakistan for 180 runs despite defending 227 runs, thanks to his three-wicket haul and Venkatesh Prasad’s fifer.
1. Venkatesh Prasad
The tall fast bowler from Karnataka, Venkatesh Prasad, is the Indian player with the most wickets against Pakistan in the history of World Cups. He has eight wickets from two matches, with an economy rate of 3.69 and an average of nine, including a five-wicket haul.
Prasad’s best stats of 5/27 came on a seaming Old Trafford pitch where Pakistan batsmen battled greatly. The right-arm bowler ripped through Pakistan’s middle and lower order, dismissing them for 180 runs in 45.3 overs and assisting the Men in Blue to a 47-run victory.
