Top 5 bowling spells for India in ICC ODI tournaments vs New Zealand ft. Mohammed Shami

Team India will play New Zealand in their final Group A game of the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday, March 2, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The winner of this contest will finish at the top of the Group A standings.

Both teams have won their previous two matches and will look to continue the winning run before the semi-finals. India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in their previous clash, while the Blackcaps routed Bangladesh ahead of today's fixture.

India and New Zealand have produced some close-fought encounters in the past. The Men in Blue bowlers have produced some excellent spells when the two teams met each other in ICC ODI events.

On that note, let's look at the top 5 bowling spells for India in ICC ODI tournaments.

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#5 Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 3/43 - ICC ODI World Cup 2019

The fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh is known for his ability to swing the ball both ways. He has won India many matches with timely wickets in the first powerplay.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar also bowled exceptionally well during the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester. He picked up three wickets for 43 runs in 10 overs to help the Men in Blue restrict the Kiwis to 239/8 in a rain-marred contest.

However, India agonizingly fell short of the target and crashed out of the tournament.

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#4 Manoj Prabhakar - 3/46 - 1992 World Cup

The former India pacer was one of India's early exponents of swing bowling. Manoj Prabhakar produced one of his best spells during the 1992 Benson and Hedges World Cup, albeit in a losing cause.

Defending 230, Prabhakar gave India the first breakthrough. He picked up two more wickets to return with figures of 3/46 in 10 overs but couldn't power the Men in Blue home. Mark Greatbatch scored 73 off 77 deliveries to take the Kiwis home.

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#3 Zaheer Khan - 4/42 - 2003 World Cup

Zaheer Khan has been one of the best left-arm pacers to represent India on the world stage. The Mumbai-born cricketer has produced his best every time the team have been under pressure.

During the 2003 World Cup meeting against New Zealand in Centurion, Zaheer produced one of his best spells in his ODI career. He was excellent with the new ball, helping India bowl out the Kiwis for just 146 runs.

Zaheer picked up the crucial wickets of Craig McMillan, Nathan Astle, Brendon McCullum, and Chris Harris to return with figures of 4/42 in eight overs. India successfully chased down the target with Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif scoring half-centuries.

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#2 Mohammed Shami - 5/54 - 2023 World Cup

The fast bowler from Bengal had a superb run throughout the 2023 ODI World Cup at home, picking up 24 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 5.26.

Mohammed Shami single-handedly dismantled the Blackcaps during the group stage encounter with a five-wicket haul. He produced a much-needed breakthrough in the middle phase of the game before cleaning up the tail to restrict New Zealand to bowl 273. Shami returned with figures of 5/54 from 10 overs.

The Men in Blue successfully chased down the target with two overs to spare. Virat Kohli played a fine knock of 95 runs, with good support from Rohit Sharma.

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#1 Mohammed Shami - 7/57 - 2023 World Cup

Shami also produced a spectacular spell in the first semi-final against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He returned with 7/57 to help the Men in Blue successfully defend 397 runs.

Shami picked up all the first five Kiwi wickets before coming back to clean up the tail to help India register a 70-run victory. Earlier, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer scored centuries to propel India to 397/4 in their 50 overs.