10 Greatest Indian Cricketers

Anil Kumble:

What’s the good word: A square peg in a round hole; a leg spinner sans the classical action, Anil Kumble’s mean bowling made him a guaranteed match-winner for India on home pitches.

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Kumble biggest moment in cricket – 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999.

Harbhajan Singh:

What’s the good word: The 2001 home series against Australia put the young, wiry Harbhajan into the limelight after he claimed 32 wickets in three Test matches. Bhajji remained Australia’s nemesis both on and off the field. With 413 wickets in 101 Tests, Harbhajan remains India’s best ever off-spinner.

Kapil Dev:

What’s the good word: Kapil Dev’s swing bowling fetched him 434 wickets. His explosive but inconsistent batting saved the day for India on many occasions. In short, the ‘Haryana Hurricane’ till date remains the greatest all-rounder Indian cricket has ever seen. But despite several incisive bowling spells and entertaining batting stints – Kapil will be always remembered as the man who won us our first World Cup.

MS Dhoni:

What’s the good word: T20 World Cup, Cricket World Cup, Champions Trophy, No. 1 rank in Tests – Indian skipper MS Dhoni’s cap is full of feathers.

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Dhoni’s greatest strength is not his batting or wicketkeeping skills; it’s his ice-cool mind which has seen the Ranchi-born star win matches from hopeless situations.

Rahul Dravid:

What’s the good word: Dravid was grit personified at number three. Blessed with immense powers of concentration he contributed to some of India’s greatest overseas wins. From Leeds 2002 to Adelaide 2003 to Rawalpindi 2004 – some of India’s sweetest victories have the name Rahul Dravid etched on them.

Sourav Ganguly:

Ganguly’s artistry on the off-side was a sight to behold. His glowing debut ton at Lord’s is part of Indian cricket’s folklore as is his shirt waving act at the same venue. Dada led India to landmark overseas Test wins and many credit him for changing Team India’s image from a soft side to fierce competitors.

Sachin Tendulkar:

What’s the good word: The most complete batsman of the modern era Tendulkar was India’s supreme batting god.

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Sachin bludgeoned bowling attacks and set unsurpassable records. 200 Tests, 100 hundreds, 34000-plus international runs – the milestones are unending.

VVS Laxman:

What’s the good word: VVS Laxman was India’s man Friday in Test matches. His elegance at the crease was the bedrock of many a miraculous fight back by India. Even though VVS has played several glorious knocks his name will always remain synonymous with 281 – that epic innings at Eden which changed the direction of Indian cricket.

Virender Sehwag:

What’s the good word: Sehwag modeled his batting style on his hero Sachin Tendulkar and ended up dismantling many records like his mentor. He is one of the only four batsmen to slam a triple twice in Test matches. Sehwag breached Tendulkar’s 200-run mark in ODIs after hammering 219 against the West Indies in November 2011. In his heydays, Viru didn’t just break the opposition bowlers; he ransacked bowling attacks at will.

Yuvraj Singh:

What’s the good word: The words Yuvraj Singh mean: six sixes in Durban, the man who took on Australia in his debut game, the party boy who is forever linked to Bollywood actresses, the 2002 Natwest final Yuvraj, the ‘on his knees’ roaring Yuvraj in the 2011 WC quarter-final in Ahmedabad, the weeping Yuvraj in the WC final. History will remember Yuvi in many ways but the most everlasting image of the left-hander will be that of a sports star who beat cancer and returned to the cricket field. Despite being a huge cricket hero he will be remembered as a survivor. -msn