Siddharth Kaul names his top 5 fast bowlers, picks two Indians [Exclusive]

Published - 21 Sept 2025, 00:01 IST | Updated - 21 Sept 2025, 00:02 IST

Former India pacer Siddarth Kaul recently revealed his all-time top five fast bowlers, which include two Indian cricketers. Kaul opted to go for legendary players like Dale Steyn, Brett Lee, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, and Michael Holding. Kaul expressed his admiration for these legends whom he looked up to as a kid and throughout his career.

"First will be my idol Dale Steyn, second will be my bestie and another idol Brett Lee, third Zaheer Khan, fourth Ashish Nehra, and fifth Michael Holding," he said in an exclusive conversation with CricTracker.

Notably, back in 2018, during the Asia Cup in the UAE, Kaul, who was part of the national team, wrote an emotional post after meeting Lee, calling it an experience of a lifetime and crediting the Australian for teaching him not just about cricket but also life.

“Had an experience of a lifetime today that will stay with me forever as a memory and will never fade away. Meeting your idol and learning from your idol is a dream for everyone and today I got to live one my dreams. Had the honor of meeting MY IDOL and THE LEGEND. Learned a lot from him and not just about cricket but also about life. Thank you for such an amazing learning experience Binga. You rock and keep rocking. Cheers," he wrote.

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Meanwhile, the pacer started playing in 1996 under the guidance of his father, Tej, a former Indian physiotherapist, and brother, Uday, a first-class cricketer. He initially made headlines when he picked up 5 for 97 on his Ranji debut for Punjab in 2007.

Khisaul’s big break came at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, where he bowled the final over under Virat Kohli’s captaincy and finished with 10 wickets at 15.40. However, injuries restricted him to just six domestic matches between 2007 and 2012.

He made a comeback in 2012-13, picking 38 wickets in 13 games, drawing inspiration from Yuvraj Singh. His consistent domestic performances earned him an IPL contract with Delhi Daredevils in 2013 before he joined Sunrisers Hyderabad. His 21 wickets in IPL 2018 made him one of the joint-highest wicket-takers of the season.

Furthermore, the 35-year-old made his T20I debut against Ireland in June 2018, where he finished with figures of 1/4. His ODI debut followed against England at Trent Bridge. Though he ended with 3 wickets in T20Is and none in ODIs. He was also called up during the 2018 Asia Cup as a replacement for Shardul Thakur but went wicketless against Afghanistan. After announcing his retirement in 2024, he joined the State Bank of India.