Indian cricket has a lot of great players who are good at batting and bowling spin. But they haven’t had many players who can bowl very fast, and only a few of them have been successful on the international level in the past century.
The Indian cricket scenario has changed in recent times with the start of the Indian Premier League and the growth of Indian cricket in general. As a result, India has now become a hub for both batsmen and spinners as well as fast bowlers who can dominate and destroy any opposing batting line-up, regardless of the pitch conditions.
1. Umran Malik
These days, Umran Malik is a well-known name among cricket fans because of his exceptional speed. He has demonstrated his talent by bowling at speeds of 157 km/hr against the Delhi Capitals at Brabourne Stadium, and at 155 km/hr against Sri Lanka while playing for the Indian national team.
2. Javagal Srinath
Javagal Srinath is one of the best Indian pacers and has taken the 2nd most wickets for India in One Day Internationals (ODIs). In the 1990s, Srinath was one of the fastest Indian bowlers, who could bowl at speeds over 140 km/hr. During the 1999 World Cup, he bowled at a speed of 154.5 km/hr which remained the fastest by an Indian until Umran Malik broke the record in 2023.
3. Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami has been a key player for India in both Test and One-Day International cricket in recent years. During India’s four-match Test series against Australia in 2014, Shami made an impressive achievement with the ball. He bowled at a speed of 153.3 km/hr during the third Test match in Melbourne, which remains one of the fastest deliveries ever bowled by an Indian bowler.
4. Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is a highly skilled bowler who is good in all cricket formats. He achieved the third-fastest ball by an Indian in international cricket when he bowled at a speed of 153.2 km/hr during a test series against Australia in 2018. He can consistently bowl above 140 km/hr in every format of the game, which has helped him take more than 300 wickets in international cricket.
5. Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma has been bowling really fast since he was young. In the 2008 Commonwealth Bank series, he bowled one of the fastest deliveries ever by an Indian in international cricket by touching a speed of 152.6 km/hr against Adam Gilchrist. Ishant was selected for the Indian team after his impressive performance in the Ranji Trophy tournament of 2006-07.
