When we talk about Indians in cricket, the debate has always been dominated by our eminent batsmen. Be it the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Mohammad Azharuddin, and so on.
What we tend to forget is that our first-ever World Cup that came in 1983 had a skipper, who led us to a historic win, a win that is still cherished as much as the other victories that came in the future.
Kapil Dev was known as the skipper who was an all-rounder in a true sense, and he was not just India's but one of the world's most lethal fast bowlers. Not just him, the likes of Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad were also instrumental in ascertaining the fact that India can produce world-class bowlers too.
Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ishant Sharma made their mark in the world too, but do you know that only five Indian bowlers contrived to reach the apex of the ICC bowler rankings in ODI cricket.
Any idea who are they are? Well, that's why today we will tell you about those greats in detail.
1) Kapil Dev
The skipper of the 1983 World Cup-winning side was an exquisite player, an all-rounder who knew to break crucial partnerships and also a batsman who could hit any bowler that he faced.
Kapil Dev was born on January 6, 1959, and he was a player who was a live example of a person with a "never say die" attitude. The legendary all-rounder is still regarded as one of the best all-rounders in cricket's history and to date, there haven't been too many who could stand on the same level as he did.
Kapil Dev dethroned the New Zealand great Richard Hadlee to become the no.1 ranked bowler in the ICC ODI rankings and held the spot from March 9, 1989, to March 17, 1989, as Hadlee took the first spot again. Kapil Dev surpassed Hadlee with a rating of 783, five more than Richard Hadlee's 778.
However, this does not change the fact that Kapil Dev was and still is one of the most iconic players to have played the sport.
2) Maninder Singh
Maninder Singh may not be spoken about much in the history of Indian cricket but he was still one of the very few Indian bowlers to reach the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings.
He was born on June 13, 1965, and he managed to reach the top spot on January 1, 1988, with 814 points, just two ahead of Malcolm Marshall. He held the first spot until January 11, after which Richard Hadlee went ahead of him in the race.
3) Anil Kumble
Born on October 17, 1970, Anil Kumble was another gem of India's history. A classical leg spinner who saved his nation not just with the ball but with the bat as well, Kumble had an extraordinary career being India's all-time leading wicket-taker with 619 wickets, a record that is still miles away from being broken.
Kumble took the no.1 spot by overhauling the great and swift Curtly Ambrose with 798 points, four ahead of the West Indies speedster. Anil Kumble held the 1st position from November 6, 1996, to December 13, after which Curtly Ambrose rose to the apex again.
Anil Kumble had several cherishable moments in the Indian jersey and one of them was when the spinner played with a broken jaw, but still managed to be intact from within.
4) Ravindra Jadeja
The "Rockstar" as named very correctly by Shane Warne, Jadeja was born on December 6, 1988, and he is currently 32 years of age. One of the all-time best fielders in cricket, Jadeja is an all-rounder and is known for his "sword" celebration.
The year 2013 was very special for the Saurashtra-born as he played a prominent role in helping India win the ICC Champions Trophy. On July 31, 2013, Ravindra Jadeja became the no.1 bowler in the ICC rankings in ODI with a rating of 738.
Jadeja held the no.1 spot from July 31 to October 15 after he was dethroned by Sunil Narine, who also shared the top spot with Jadeja for a while.
Jasprit Bumrah
India's current spearhead Jasprit Bumrah toiled hard for the feats he has attained today and has been in the top bowling charts for a while now.
Surprisingly, even Jasprit Bumrah was born on December 6, the same date as Ravindra Jadeja, but five years later. Jasprit Bumrah made it to this elite list of India's greats on February 4, 2018, with a rating of 739, 10 points ahead of Trent Boult.
Bumrah is renowned for his yorkers and his peculiar bowling action that not many manage to survive. Bumrah held the top spot from February 4 to September 19, after which Rashid Khan overtook him.
Bumrah is also the bowler who held the summit of the ICC ODI bowling charts for the longest time, and doing it against the best bowlers in India's history shows how influential Bumrah has been for his side.
Who was your favorite among these bowlers? Let us know! Reach us with your suggestions and interact with us on Twitter and Instagram. Follow us and Stay tuned for more updates!
