Kuldeep Yadav made an impressive return to India’s ODI side on Sunday, taking four wickets in the opening match of the three-game series against the West Indies.

Playing at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Kuldeep completed his 10 overs and finished with figures of 4/40.

The left-arm wrist-spinner played a key role in restricting the West Indies after the hosts had made a strong start.

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Kuldeep Moves Past Venkatesh Prasad

Kuldeep first struck by removing opener John Campbell, who made 62 off 60 balls.

He then dismissed West Indies captain Shai Hope before getting rid of Justin Greaves and Jewel Andrew.

Hope’s dismissal was particularly significant as it took Kuldeep level with former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad on 196 ODI wickets.

Kuldeep moved past Prasad soon after when he trapped Greaves LBW in the 36th over. 

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Two Wickets Away From 200

Kuldeep now needs just two more wickets to complete 200 ODI wickets. If he gets those wickets in the remaining two matches of the series, he will become only the fourth Indian spinner to reach the milestone.

Highest ODI wickettakers

POSITION PLAYER TIME SPAN MATCHES WICKETS BEST FIGURES 5W
1 Anil Kumble 1990-2007 269 334 6/12 2
2 Javagal Srinath 1991-2003 229 315 5/23 3
3 Ajit Agarkar 1998-2007 191 288 6/42 2
4 Zaheer Khan 2000-2012 194 269 5/42 1
5 Harbhajan Singh 1998-2015 234 265 5/31 3
6 Kapil Dev 1978-1994 225 253 5/43 1
7 Ravindra Jadeja 2009-2026 211* 232* 5/33 2
8 Mohammed Shami 2013-2025 108 206 7/57 6
9 Kuldeep Yadav 2017-2026 122* 198* 6/25 2
10 Venkatesh Prasad 1994-2001 161 196 5/27 1

Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja are the only Indian spinners to have crossed 200 ODI wickets so far.

Kumble remains India’s leading wicket-taker in the format, with 334 wickets from 269 ODIs. Javagal Srinath is next with 315 wickets from 219 matches.

Among India’s other 200-plus ODI wicket-takers are Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Kapil Dev and Mohammed Shami.

Kuldeep’s Record Against West Indies

Kuldeep has also been effective against the West Indies in ODI cricket. His four-wicket haul took his tally against them to 37 wickets from 20 matches. He is now among India’s leading wicket-takers against the West Indies in the format.

Ravindra Jadeja currently leads that list with 44 wickets from 33 ODIs.

At the international level, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralidaran holds the record for most ODI wickets, with 534. Pakistan’s Wasim Akram is second with 502 wickets.

Most ODI Wickets

PLAYER TEAM(S) TIME SPAN MATCHES WICKETS BEST FIGURES (INNINGS) 5W
Murali Muralidaran Sri Lanka, ICC, Asia 1993-2011 350 534 7/30 10
Wasim Akram Pakistan 1984-2003 356 502 5/15 6
Waqar Younis Pakistan 1989-2003 262 416 7/36 13
Chaminda Vaas Sri Lanka, Asia 1994-2008 322 400 8/19 4
Shahid Afridi Pakistan, ICC, Asia 1996-2015 398 395 7/12 9
Shaun Pollock South Africa, ICC, Africa 1996-2008 303 393 6/35 5
Glenn McGrath Australia, ICC 1993-2007 250 381 7/15 7
Brett Lee Australia 2000-2012 221 380 5/22 9
Lasith Malinga Sri Lanka 2004-2019 226 338 6/38 8
Anil Kumble India, Asia 1990-2007 271 337 6/12 2