Every bowler wants to pick as many wickets as possible while playing for their country. The bowlers toil hard in the cricket field to dismiss the batsmen and prevent them from scoring runs. Hence, the job of the bowlers in cricket is quite arduous.
Picking a hat-trick is the dream of every bowler playing this game. A total of 47 bowlers have managed to achieve this feat in the ODIs. Among all the Indian bowlers, four have manoeuvre this achievement.
Here, we look at those four Indian bowlers who have registered their name in the record books of picking the Hatrick.
1. Chetan Sharma – vs New Zealand
The first Indian bowler to pick up a hat-trick in the 50-overs format is the pacer, Chetan Sharma. The Ludhiana-born accomplished this stiff task against the Blackcaps in 1987. Batting first in Nagpur, the Kiwis were looking set to post a good total on the board, but Chetan Sharma had different thoughts.
Firstly he dismissed a good-looking Ken Rutherford, followed by the wicket of the wicket-keeper batsman, Ian Smith. His third delivery shattered Ewen Chartfield’s leg stump, as the 55-years old became the first bowler to procure hat-trick in a World Cup fixture. India won the match easily, with Chetan Sharma getting a joint Man of the Match award with Sunil Gavaskar.
2. Kapil Dev – vs Sri Lanka
The legendary all-rounder, Kapil Dev, is the second bowler to feature in this elite list. The Chandigarh-born acquired this hat-trick with consummate brilliance in the Final of Asia Cup, 1991. Batting first, Sri Lanka were looking impressive at 175/4 in a rain-curtailed 45-overs match.
The 62-years old firstly dismissed Roshan Mahanama on the last ball of 38th over, at a low score of 5. In his following over, the medium-pacer took the consecutive wickets of Sanath Jayasuriya and Rumesh Ratnayake. This hat-trick played a crucial role in India’s triumph at Eden Gardens, with Kapil Dev taking four wickets in the game making it one of the great bowling spells of Kapil.
3. Kuldeep Yadav – vs Australia and West Indies
The chinaman, Kuldeep Yadav, is the only Indian bowler to bag two hat-tricks in the One Day Internationals. His first hat-trick came in 2017, where he took three wickets against Australia. These three crucial wickets derailed Australia’s on-track innings, and India won the game comfortably at Eden Gardens by 50 runs.
His second hat-trick came against West Indies, where he also took three wickets at Visakhapatnam. In the 33rd over of the second innings, Kuldeep firstly dismissed a well-set Shai Hope at a score of 78. In the next two deliveries, the 26-years old picked up the wickets of Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph – completing the second hat-trick of his ODI career.
4. Mohammed Shami – vs Afghanistan
Mohammed Shami, the right-arm pacer, is the only Indian bowler to pick up a hat-trick outside India in the One Day Internationals. He achieved this milestone at Southampton in the World Cup, 2019. India, after winning the toss, posted a mere total of 224/8 only on the board in the first innings.
Afghanistan were looking steady in the chase, despite losing the wickets at regular intervals. With 16 required off the last over, Mohammed Shami firstly removed dangerous Mohammad Nabi at a score of 52. The wickets of Aftab Alam and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the next two balls ensured India’s narrow victory and Shami’s hat-trick against the Asian nation, Afghanistan.
