The all-time greatest Indian bowler - A statistical analysis

India has been predominantly a batting powerhouse. Yet, India has produced some fine bowlers, both spinners and pacers. It is hard to believe that once an Indian held the record for the most number of wickets in Test cricket (Kapil Dev held the record till Courtney Walsh broke it in 2000).

To find out the best bowler India has produced, let us consider the top 5 highest wicket takers for India in ODIs and Tests combined.

1) Anil Kumble (956 wickets)

2) Kapil Dev (687 wickets)

3) Harbhajan Singh (665 wickets)

4) Zaheer Khan (573 wickets)

5) Javagal Srinath (551 wickets)

ODI bowling comparison:

1. Economy rate

Player	Economy rate
Anil Kumble	4.30
Kapil Dev	3.71
Harbhajan Singh	4.30
Zaheer Khan	4.93
Javagal Srinath	4.44

Here, to calculate the points each player gets for economy rate, the formula used is

[100-economy rate of the player]/[100-least economic rate among the players] * 10

Points Table

Player	Points
Anil Kumble	9.93
Kapil Dev	10
Harbhajan Singh	9.93
Zaheer Khan	9.87
Javagal Srinath	9.92

2. Strike rate

Player	Strike rate
Anil Kumble	43
Kapil Dev	44.2
Harbhajan Singh	46.5
Zaheer Khan	35.8
Javagal Srinath	37.8

Here, to calculate the points each player gets for strike rate, the formula used is

[100-strike rate of player]/[100-least strike rate among the players] * 10

Points table

Player	Points
Anil Kumble	8.87
Kapil Dev	8.69
Harbhajan Singh	8.64
Zaheer Khan	10
Javagal Srinath	9.68

3. Bowling average

Player	Bowling Average
Anil Kumble	30.89
Kapil Dev	27.45
Harbhajan Singh	33.40
Zaheer Khan	29.43
Javagal Srinath	28.08

Here, to calculate the points each player gets for bowling average, the formula used is

[100-average of the player]/[100-least average among the players] * 10

Points table

Player	Points
Anil Kumble	9.52
Kapil Dev	10
Harbhajan Singh	9.17
Zaheer Khan	9.72
Javagal Srinath	9.91

4. Ratio of Man-of-the-match awards won to number of matches played

Even a player’s contribution to team’s victory must be considered. Which, according to me is reflected in the man of the match awards won. So, if one sees the ratio of man of the match awards won to the number of matches played, one might get some idea of the bowler’s contribution towards his team’s victory.

Player	Ratio
Anil Kumble	0.022
Kapil Dev	0.008
Harbhajan Singh	0.013
Zaheer Khan	0.030
Javagal Srinath	0.021

Here, the points for the above ratio are calculated by

Ratio for the player/highest ratio among the players

Points table

Player	Points
Anil Kumble	7.33
Kapil Dev	2.66
Harbhajan Singh	4.33
Zaheer Khan	10
Javagal Srinath	7

Now, adding the points given for these 4 parameters, we get the final total for each player as follows:

Total points

Player	Points
Anil Kumble	35.65
Kapil Dev	31.35
Harbhajan Singh	32.07
Zaheer Khan	39.59
Javagal Srinath	36.51

From the above calculations, statistically, Zaheer Khan is the best ODI bowler India has produced.

Test bowling comparison:

1. Strike rate

Player	Strike rate
Anil Kumble	65.9
Kapil Dev	63.9
Harbhajan Singh	68.1
Zaheer Khan	58.6
Javagal Srinath	64

Points table

Player	Points
Anil Kumble	8.23
Kapil Dev	8.71
Harbhajan Singh	7.70
Zaheer Khan	10
Javagal Srinath	8.69

2. Bowling average

Player	Average
Anil Kumble	29.65
Kapil Dev	29.64
Harbhajan Singh	32.22
Zaheer Khan	32.06
Javagal Srinath	30.49

Points table

Player	Points
Anil Kumble	9.99
Kapil Dev	10
Harbhajan Singh	9.63
Zaheer Khan	9.65
Javagal Srinath	9.87

3. Ratio of man-of-the-match awards to number of matches played

Player	Ratio
Anil Kumble	0.075
Kapil Dev	0.061
Harbhajan Singh	0.061
Zaheer Khan	0.058
Javagal Srinath	0.104

Points table

Player	Points
Anil Kumble	7.21
Kapil Dev	5.86
Harbhajan Singh	5.86
Zaheer Khan	5.57
Javagal Srinath	10

Now, we add the points for these 3 parameters in Tests:

Total Points

Player	points
Anil Kumble	25.43
Kapil Dev	24.57
Harbhajan Singh	23.19
Zaheer Khan	25.22
Javagal Srinath	28.56

Surprisingly, according to above calculations, Javagal Srinath has been India’s best Test bowler, thanks to the more number of match-winning performances from the pacer.

Overall:

Points table (Test + ODI combined)

Player	Points
Anil Kumble	61.08
Kapil Dev	55.92
Harbhajan Singh	55.26
Zaheer Khan	64.81
Javagal Srinath	65.07

Statistically, Javagal Srinath is the best bowler India has ever produced, with Zaheer Khan being a close second. Many prominent bowlers like Bishen Singh Bedi could not make it to the list as they did not satisfy the criteria required.