Best Wicket Keeper in India: Top 5 Indian Wicket-Keepers Ranked (2025)

Modern-day cricket requires a lot of skills and effort on the field. Except for batting and bowling, wicket-keeping and fielding have also been very important in the modern-day aspect of the game. Pitches have helped the batters in limited-overs cricket. But it is a team game; wicket-keeping is as important as batting and bowling across game formats. The wicket-keeper can see the field better than any captain or player, as a wicket-keeper will do best in navigating the fielding positions of the team throughout the match. In this article, we will provide the answer to who is the best wicket keeper in India.

How We Ranked the Best Wicket Keepers in India - Ranking Factor

There are many factors involved in evaluating India's best wicket keeper, and we have used some ranking factors to assess fairly and accurately based on dismissals per match and many more. Here are the ranking factors:

• Dismissals per Match: The dismissals per match are the number of dismissals made by the wicket keeper in a match, which involves both caught behind and stumping. This reflects consistency and involvement behind the stumps across formats and shows the keeping skills of the wicket keeper and how well he can perform in the match behind the stumps.
• Batting Performance: In modern-day cricket, wicketkeepers are not only supposed to keep the wickets but also have a responsibility to score a good number of runs in batting. The batting performance of the player is an important part of the match, as it shows the number of runs scored by the wicket-keepers. The modern Indian keepers are expected to contribute significantly with the bat, especially in pressure chases or lower-order rebuilds.
• Glove Work in Spinning Conditions: The glove work in spinning conditions shows the skills of the player behind the stumps while the spinner is bowling. It tells the ability of the keeper to have a better sight over the ball and not miss the ball in spinning conditions. In Indian pitches, the keeper should have sharp skills in keeping to do quick stumping, and leave minimal byes for extra runs, which are crucial.
• Performance in Key Matches: The performance of the keeper in key matches is an important factor to rank the best wicket keepers, where the keeper is supposed to hold pressure and perform as usual in key matches like knockout games, overseas tours, and crunch moments where the keeper is expected to rise to the ocassion.
• Fitness & Availability: The fitness and availability of the keeper show how consistently the keeper is available and injury-free across formats and tours. This shows the fitness level of the player in managing workload and performing well in the matches. This also involves how well the keeper can hold the ball behind the stumps with flexibility, which involves swinging and over-bouncing, and move across the ground easily.
• Dual Format Efficiency: The dual format efficiency of the wicket keeper tells the ability of the keeper to adapt glovework and batting across formats while maintaining high standards. This shows how well the wicket keeper can maintain his game across the formats, where a test match requires a lot of work by the wicket keeper as compared to white ball cricket.
• Standing Up to Pacers: Standing up to pacers shows the skill level of Indian keepers who often stand up to medium pacers, which reflects sharp reflexes and clean technique. This shows how well the keeper can hold the ball when the pacers are bowling and where they stand according to the pace of the fast bowler.
• Field Awareness & Leadership: A wicket keeper stands at the perfect position on the ground where he can have a proper 360° view across the ground, like the batsman, and can adjust the field according to it. It involves leadership skills while making the decisions of field placement and even when taking the call of DRS, which requires insights of the wicket keeper. It also involves how well the keeper is motivating the players and making the game more interesting.
• Stumping Speed: The stumping speed of the wicket keeper tells at what speed a stumping can be done by the keeper while the batsman is out of the crease. This shows the efficiency of the stumping skills of the wicket keeper, which involves the split-second stumpings vs spin bowlers like Ashwin, Kuldeep, or Jadeja, making it a key differentiator in the match.
• Domestic & IPL Consistency: The domestic and IPL consistency of the player tells the keeping skills and contributions of the keeper at the domestic level (Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali) and in the IPL, which helps in determining the depth and form across formats of the keeper. This shows the patience and determination of the wicket keeper to stay behind the wickets in different formats of the game.

Top 5 Best Wicket-Keepers in India - Updated List (2025)

Indian cricket has produced many quality wicketkeepers in the world of cricket, where many of them have played exceptionally well for team and contributed to the success of their team in winning the matches. Here is the list of the Top 10 Best Wicket Keepers in India, which includes players from MS Dhoni to Syed Kirmani to Rishab Pant.

Who is the Best Wicket Keeper in India Currently?

A world-class wicketkeeper not only prevents runs through accurate glove work but also makes a huge contribution with the bat. They can change the course of a match. As of 2025, the wicketkeeping scenario has changed, with players dominating both defensive and attacking aspects of the game. India has always been honoured for giving the world world-class cricketers in all three formats, with wicketkeepers holding a special position. In this article, we look at who is the best wicket keeper in India.

5. Dhruv Jurel

At number five in the list of the top 5 best wicket-keeper in India is Dhruv Jurel, a promising young talent who has shown glimpses of brilliance behind the stumps and with the bat. In the last recent years, he has been impressive with the gloves and has become a backup wicket keeper in the Indian cricket team. In his international career, he has played a total of 5 matches as a designated keeper, where he has made his presence felt with 9 dismissals, including 6 catches and 3 stumpings, showcasing his sharp reflexes and excellent glove work. With the bat, Jurel has scored 214 runs, with a highest score of 90, maintaining a decent average of 22.20. He has been a part of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, where he has shown his skills with gloves and batting too. He is currently in the squad of the Indian test team for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as a back-up keeper.

4. Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan, an explosive wicket-keeper batsman known for his aggressive batting style and sharp glove work, is at number four in the list of the top 5 best wicket keeper in India. In his international career, he has played 31 matches as a designated wicket keeper, where he has a total of 28 dismissals, including 24 catches and 4 stumpings in international cricket, which shows his agility and quick reflexes behind the stumps. With the bat, he has scored 1,807 runs, with a career-best score of 210 (fastest ever double century), with a solid average of 48.69. His fearless approach to batting and ability to take on bowlers from the very first ball make him a very special player for the Indian team in white ball cricket. He is one of India's best wicket keeper with explosive opening batting skills.

3. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson, a dynamic player known for his explosive batting and sharp wicket-keeping skills, is at number three in the list of the top 5 best wicket-keeper in India. In his international career, he has played 37 matches as a designated wicket keeper, where he has accomplished 33 dismissals, which include 25 catches and 8 stumpings, displaying quick reflexes and accuracy behind the stumps. While batting for the Indian team, he has scored 1,371 runs, with a highest score of 111, maintaining a solid average of 40.99. He has been a seasoned wicket keeper for his franchise in the IPL as one of India's best wicket keeper.

2. KL Rahul

KL Rahul, a versatile cricketer known for his solid batting and reliable wicket-keeping skills, is at number two in the list of the best wicket keeper in India. He has been a crucial part of the Indian team in the ICC World Cup 2023 with both his keeping and batting skills. In his international career, he has played 55 matches as a designated keeper, where he has 77 dismissals, including 69 catches and 8 stumpings, which shows his consistency and sharpness behind the stumps. With the bat, he has scored a total of 8,565 runs, with a highest score of 199, maintaining a strong average of 40.13. He has been the prominent wicket keeper for the Indian team in white ball cricket.

1. Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant has emerged as one of the best wicket keeper in India in recent years, redefining the classic role with aggressive batting and ever-improving glovework. Pant established himself on the national side right away with his battling approach and match-winning abilities. Pant has been significantly improved as a wicketkeeper, especially in Test cricket. With his mix of attacking flair, pressure-handling confidence, and continually improving abilities, he is not just one of India's best wicket keeper in the present. He is currently one of the best wicketkeepers in the world.

His performance in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia is one of the most enduring memories of recent Indian cricket. Not only did he perform well with the bat, but his calmness and confidence behind the wickets were instrumental in India's historic series win.

In his international career, he has played 132 matches as a designated keeper, where he has 239 dismissals to his name, taking 212 catches and 27 stumpings. With the bat, he has scored 5,020 runs across the three formats of the game with an average of 32.95. Rishabh Pant is regarded as the future of Indian wicketkeeping.

Who is the Best Wicket Keeper in India of all time?

MS Dhoni is the best Wicket Keeper in India of all time, as he has provided the Indian cricket team with his wicket-keeping service for many years during his cricketing career. He has played 538 international matches across the three formats of the game, where he has a total of 829 dismissals to his name, where he took 634 catches and 195 stumpings. He is considered to be one of the best wicketkeepers of all time, not only in India but in the world. He is known for his lightning-fast stumping, which stuns the batsman and does not allow the batsman to leave the crease. He is well known for his calm and expertise, who changes the course of the game from behind the stumps and his accuracy in DRS, while even fans have claimed DRS to be “Dhoni Review System”. He is the best wicket keeper in India and even in the world.