3 Indian bowlers with the highest number of maiden overs in ODIs

Indian cricket has been renowned to produce batting legends in all the formats of the game. On the contrary, though, the bowling has always been India's weakness, an area that has always demanded improvement, especially in the limited overs format. The batsmen friendly Indian pitches have made matters even worse for the bowlers.

However, there have been numerous Indian bowlers who not only took wickets but also kept a check on the batting team's scoring rate with their disciplined bowling efforts. Bowling a maiden over in a one day international is a big achievement for a bowler, considering the batting-friendly conditions and rules in the limited overs format of the game.

Here are 3 Indian bowlers with the highest number of maiden overs in ODIs:

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#3 Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan gained immediate stardom when he bowled phenomenally in his debut series, the ICC Champions Trophy 2000. The left armer had the elusive ability to swing the ball both ways at pace, which made him a regular feature in the Indian side for the first decade of the 21st century.

Zaheer has provided numerous match-winning performances with the ball for India and he was one of the most important assets of the World Cup Winning Indian side of 2011. He is one of the best fast bowlers to have represented India in all the formats of the game and has impressed everyone with his performances across the globe.

In his ODI career, which lasted 12 years, he represented India in 200 matches taking 282 wickets at an impressive economy of 4.93. He has bowled 117 maidens overs, which is the third-best tally for any Indian bowler in the format.

#2 Javagal Srinath

No Indian fast bowler has more ODI wickets than Srinath

Javagal Srinath made his One-Day International debut for India in the year 1991 against arch-rivals Pakistan in Sharjah. The right arm fast bowler was known for his ability to move the new ball and generate extra bounce because of his high-arm bowling action.

He was a regular feature especially in the One-day format and was also mighty effective with the bat. He was often referred to as a potential all-rounder but his numbers with the bat don't depict the same.

However, he proved his prowess as a bowler picking up 315 wickets in the 229 One-day games he played for India at an economy of 4.45. The Mysore born bowler bowled 137 maiden overs in his one day career which lasted more than a decade.

Only one Indian bowler has bowled more maidens than Srinath.

#1 Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev is unarguably the best all-rounder to represent India in international cricket. He is also one of the greatest match winners for India in the limited overs format. The Haryana Hurricane made his One-Day International debut in the year 1978 against Pakistan in their backyard.

The all-rounder dominated the headlines courtesy of his incredible performances both with the bat and the ball. His innings of 175 in 1983 was one of the best knocks ever played in limited overs cricket. The right arm fast bowler bagged 253 ODI scalps in the 225 games he played for India.

He bowled 235 maiden overs for India to complement his incredible economy rate of 3.72. He holds the Indian record for most maidens in ODIs. He also held the world record when he retired but has since been overtaken and currently is in the fifth spot.