India pacer Mohammed Shami has been terrific, to say the least in the ongoing World Cup. He has played only two matches so far in the mega event and has picked up nine wickets including a five-wicket haul against New Zealand in Dharamsala. He followed that performance with a stunning performance against England in Lucknow where India defended 229 to win by 100 runs.
Interestingly, Shami wasn't in the first choice playing XI for India and played only due to an injury to all-rounder Hardik Pandya. He hasn't looked back since then and clearly, cannot be left out of the side now even if Hardik returns to the team. Also, the India cricketer has been exceptional when it comes to featuring in the World Cup matches. Shami has a staggering 40 wickets to his name in just 13 innings at an average of 14.07.
He has gone wicketless in the mega event of the 50-over format only once and will be eyeing history against Sri Lanka. Shami is only four wickets away from levelling Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath to become the joint-highest wicket-taker in World Cup. Both the former cricketers picked 44 wickets each during their respective World Cup careers.
The catch though here is the number of matches they took to pick those many scalps. While Srinath played 34 matches at the World Cup to account for 44 scalps, Zaheer did it in only 23 matches. However, Shami is set to achieve the unthinkable against Sri Lanka. Perhaps, even if he doesn't pick four wickets in the next game, the man seems certain to go past two of India's legendary bowlers in the following outing against South Africa on November 5.
Most wickets for India in ODI World Cup
| Player | Wickets |
| Zaheer Khan | 44 |
| Javagal Srinath | 44 |
| Mohammed Shami | 40 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 32 |
| Anil Kumble | 31 |
