Who are the 20 greatest Indian cricket players of all time?

I shall split my list into two parts. My list includes 10 batsmen and 10 bowlers, by sheer numbers over the years. This way, I ensure equal justice to both specialists.
10 Greatest Indian Batsmen** (of all time across all formats)
RANK | RUNS | MATCHES | PLAYER | FC TEAM |
1 | 50192 | 957 | Sachin Tendulkar | Mumbai |
2 | 41651 | 856 | Rahul Dravid | Karnataka |
3 | 33035 | 768 | Sourav Ganguly | Bengal |
4 | 31632 | 748 | Gautam Gambhir | Delhi |
5 | 30428 | 499 | Sunil Gavaskar | Mumbai |
6 | 29198 | 685 | Virender Sehwag | Delhi |
7 | 28786 | 661 | Mohammad Azharuddin | Hyderabad |
8 | 28646 | 615 | Virat Kohli | Delhi |
9 | 26314 | 785 | Yuvraj Singh | Punjab |
10 | 26107 | 838 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Jharkhand |
10 Greatest Indian Bowlers** (of all time across all formats)
RANK | WICKETS | MATCHES | PLAYER | FC TEAM |
1 | 1707 | 678 | Anil Kumble | Karnataka |
2 | 1631 | 442 | Bishen Singh Bedi | Punjab |
3 | 1454 | 412 | Srinivas Venkataraghavan | Tamil Nadu |
4 | 1392 | 783 | Harbhajan Singh | Punjab |
5 | 1170 | 585 | Kapil Dev | Haryana |
6 | 1168 | 560 | Zaheer Khan | Baroda |
7 | 1071 | 253 | Bhagwath Chandrasekhar | Karnataka |
8 | 1005 | 495 | Amit Mishra | Haryana |
9 | 1003 | 544 | Murali Kartik | Railways |
10 | 974 | 244 | Erapalli Prasanna | Karnataka |
*Current players in turquoise.
**Numbers as on 1 February 2019.
You have the right to disagree with my list. Impact on the game is debatable, which is why Bradman vs. Tendulkar or Sobers vs. Sehwag was/will be debated for years, without a conclusion. Comparisons are easier when backed by numbers. Don’t we all love a spreadsheet analysis or graphs on a powerpoint slide? 🙂
Besides, give me a better list of cricketing greats than the one above, and we’ll talk. All opinions are welcome in the comments section.
Continue to G.O.A.T series : Episode 2.
Also read:
Why do Indians Love Cricket?
India : The Powerhouse of Spin Bowling
India’s Default Setting = Love For Cricket?
6 Comments