Sachin Tendulkar, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja (Source: @ICC/X.com)
India's Varun Chakravarthy did a commendable job against New Zealand in the recently concluded Champions Trophy 2025 match that happened in Dubai. The Indian spinner picked a five-wicket haul to rattle the Kiwis, as India eventually won the game by 44 runs.
This multi-national high-profile tournament has a massive history of bowlers performing under challenging situations. One of them was India's Chakravarthy, who did a commendable job with his mystery spin to gather a five-wicket haul, while the opposition's Matt Henry was also lethal, picking five wickets in this crucial encounter, which India won. With this record, Chakravarthy has registered himself in an elite list of bowlers who have done an incredible job for the Men in Blue.
This feat by Chakravarthy was the second-best performance by a bowler for India in the Champions Trophy history since the start of the tournament in 1998, when it was known as the ICC Knock-Out Tournament. Therefore, let's have a look at all the best bowling performances by an Indian in an innings in the Champions Trophy history.
5. Zaheer Khan - 4/45 vs ZIM, Colombo RPS, 2002
India's left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan is at number five on the list with bowling figures of 4/45 in 10 overs against Zimbabwe at RPS Stadium in Colombo. Zaheer achieved this feat in the 2002 edition of the Champions Trophy where India finished as joint-winners.
In the third match of the tournament against Zimbabwe, India scored a decent total of 288 on the board and prevented the Chevrons from chasing the score down as they halted them to 274, courtesy of Zaheer Khan's four-wicket haul.
He gave runs at an economy of just 4.5, restricting Zimbabwe 14 runs short of the target. Zimbabwe's Andy Flower scored a brilliant 145, and despite the effort, they failed to chase the target. Zaheer, who has given India many valuable performances, is also remembered for his spell in this game.
4. Sachin Tendulkar - 4/38 vs AUS, Dhaka, 1998
The number four is a surprise addition to the list, a player known more for his batting. The name is the great Sachin Tendulkar, who recorded figures of 4/38 in 9.1 overs against Australia in the 1998 edition of the Champions Trophy, formerly known as the ICC Knock-Out Tournament.
Tendulkar picked the four-wicket haul at Dhaka as India bowled Australia out for 263 in 48.1 overs. Batting first, India put up 307 on the board, and again, it was Tendulkar who smashed an unbelievable 141 off 128 deliveries to take India to a gigantic total with the help of Ajay Jadeja's 71.
With this incredible performance, Tendulkar achieved the Player of the Match award, as his bowling proved more than crucial in the end. He dismissed Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan, Damien Martyn, and Brad Young.
3. Mohammed Shami - 5/53 vs BAN, Dubai, 2025
The number three person on this list is also a recent entrant in the form of India's Mohammed Shami, who grabbed figures of 5/53 against Bangladesh in the opening match of this year's Champions Trophy 2025.
The game that happened in Dubai saw Shami bowling 10 overs, where he gave just 53 runs at an economy of 5.3, while India bowled Bangladesh out for 228. Rohit Sharma's men then chased the score with ease in 46.3 overs courtesy of Shubman Gill's 101*.
Shami, who is known to be incredibly top-class with his line and length, first struck twice in the powerplay and then came back to dismiss Jaker Ali, Tanzim Hasan and Taskin Ahmed in the death overs as India made massive strides in the game on the back of Shami's incredible performance.
2. Varun Chakravarthy - 5/42 vs NZ, Dubai, 2025*
The player who has done a remarkable job against the Kiwis is Varun Chakravarthy, with his outstanding spell of 5/42 against the BlackCaps at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the ongoing edition of the Champions Trophy, features at second position on this list.
India, in this game, were asked to bat first and were able to put up 249 on the board for the loss of nine wickets on a pitch that was a bit tricky to score runs on. New Zealand, in reply, started decently, scoring 93 for two, but lost their way out in the middle thanks to Chakravarthy's magnificent spell consisting of five wickets.
He dismissed Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, and Matt Henry to rattle the Kiwis and bowled them out for 205, giving India a massive victory by 44 runs.
1. Ravindra Jadeja - 5/36 vs WI, The Oval, 2013
The record that still remains undisputed at this stage is Ravindra Jadeja's 5/36 against West Indies in the 2013 edition of the Champions Trophy. The match, which happened at the Oval ground in London, saw Jadeja pick five crucial wickets of Jonathan Charles, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Sunil Narine, and Ravi Rampaul to limit West Indies to 233 by the end of their 50 overs.
Jadeja, in his 10 overs, only gave away 36 runs while bowling at a perfect economy of 3.60, where he delivered 40 dots consisting of two maidens. In reply, India finished the game with ease as openers Shikhar Dhawan (102*) and Rohit Sharma (52), alongside Dinesh Karthik (51*) helped India finish the game in 39.1 overs.
The left-arm spinner, who was magnificent in this game and overall in the Champions Trophy 2013, ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 12 wickets as he averaged 12.83 in five games while helping Men In Blue lift the Champions Trophy for the second time in history, defeating England in the finals.
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