In this weekend blog, I am continuing with the Greatest Indian Cricketers Series that I started few weeks back.
At No. 33 is Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi 1961—1975 Batter
He was considered one of the India’s greatest captain in 1960s . He played 46 matches, Runs scored- 2793, POM- 1.
His notable achievements were_ Wisden Cricketer of the year (1968), scored 64 (206 balls) and 148 (348 balls) at #6 in 1967 vs England. This still stands as a record for the most number of balls played by a # 6 batter in the history of Test cricket (554 balls).
32 Srinivas Venkatraghvan, Madras, 1965-1983, Spinner
Although he had 1390 first class wickets, he was often left out as the fourth of the spin quartet. Yet he played for 18 years and took 156 Test wickets. He was India’s captain in the 1975 & 1979 ODI World Cup.
Matches played-72, Wickets-161, Captained India in 7 Tests and 5 ODIS Notable achievements- Best of 8/72 vs New Zealand (1965), took 35 wickets in the 1970-71 season.
31 Mohinder Amarnath, Punjab/Delhi, 1969-1989, All Rounder
He will be always remembered for the player of te match in the 1983 ODI World Cup, that changed the nature of Indian cricket.
Matches played 154, Runs 6302, Wickets 78, POM-10, POS-2, member of 1983 WC winning team.
Notable achievements- POM 1983 WC final, 598 runs vs West Indies (1982-83), 584 vs Pakistan (1982-83) 445 vs Australia (1977-78), 237 runs and 8 wickets in 1983ODI WC.
30 Erapalli Prasanna– Karnataka, 1962-78, Off spinner
Yet another member of the famed quartet, he was known for his flight. Dominated the Trans-Tasman teams in the late1960s, and the main contributor to India’s first test overseas victory in New Zealand. He was at his best in FC level with 957 wickets and 54,823 balls bowled.
Matches played 49, Wickets 189, POM-1.
Notable achievements- 26 Wickets vs Australia (1969-70), 25 Wickets vs Australia (1967-68), 24 Wickets vs New Zealand (1967-68), 8/76 vs New Zealand.
29 Shikhar Dhawan, Delhi, 2010-24, Batter
He, between 2013-2019 was one of India’s prime match winners. An injury in the 2019 WC ended his stint at the top, but not before he scored yet another magnificent century. Formed te star top order with Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli.
Matches played 269, Runs-10867, POM-19, POS-4
Notable achievements- 187 0n Test debut, Player of the series & most runs in 2013 Champions Trophy, Most runs in 2017 Champions Trophy, Highest runs for India in 2015 WC. Scored 5193 runs with Rohit Sharma.
28 Bhagwat Chandrashekhar, Karnataka, 1964-1979. Leg spinner
Marred by Polio, he had a different sort of jumpy action. The fact that he established a career is astonishing by itself. That he took 242 Test wickets, 42 in overseas conditions is even more staggering.
Matches played 59, Wickets-245, POM 1.
Notable achievements- 35 Wickets vs England (1972-73), 28 Wickets vs Australia (1977-78). Best of 8/79 vs England (1972).
27 Cheteshwar Pujara, Saurashtra 2010- , Batter
India will always be indebted to him for their first Test series victory in 2018, and in 2020-21 series he was just as gritty, assured, and monumental to India’s win. With 100 Tests and 19 hundreds to his name, he has become a certified legend.
Matches played 108, Runs 7246, POMm-6, POS-2.
Notable achievements- 521 runs vs Australia in 2018-19
26 Gundappa Vishwanath, Karnataka, 1969-83, Batter
One of the most stylish batsman, he was mainstay of Indian middle order for much of 1970s. His name is connected to Sunil Gavaskar in more ways than one. He captained India in 2 Tests and one ODI, played 100+ Test matches.
Matches played 116, Runs 6519, POM-2
Notable achievements-568 runs vs West Indies (1974-75), 518 runs vs Australia (1979-80), 497 vs West Indies (1978-79), 473 vs Australia (1977-78), 466 vs England (1981-82), scored century on debut.
25 Ravindra Jadeja, Saurashtra, 2009- , All-rounder
He can finish T20 games, can score 77 in an ODI WC semi-final, destroy opponents with his spin or with is iconic direct hits. An all-rounder in all sense of the game.
Matches played 343, runs 6307, Wickets 568, POM 25, Pos 2. He was part of T20 WCC winning team in 2024.
Notable achievements- 26 wickets vs England (2016-17), 26 Wickets vs Australia (2016-17), 24 Wickets vs Australia (2012-13), 23 Wickets vs South Africa (2015-16). Best of 7/42 vs Australia (2023). Most Wickets in 2013 Champions Trophy.
24 Zahher Khan, Baroda/Mumbai, 2000-14, Fast bowler
2011 ODI WC victory, he was one of the main contributor with 21 Wickets (joint most of the WC). His Test career was pretty stellar as well with 311 Wickets.
Matches played 303, Wickets 597, POM 12, POS 3.
Notable achievements- Highest Wicket taker of 2011 ODI WC.
23 Dilip Vengsarkar, Mumbai, 1976-1992.
He played 116 Tests scored 6868 runs with 17 hundreds. By the ttime he retired, he was statistically, the best batter in the country after Sunil Gavaskar. Made the # 3 position his own.
Matches played 245, Runs 10,376, PO-9, Pos 3. He was part of 1983 ODI WC winning team.
Notable achievements- Scored 4 hundreds in 1979, 4 in 1986, and 4 in 1987.
22 Mohd. Azharuddin, Hyderabad, 1984-2000. Batter.
He ruled the hearts of Indian cricket fans in 90s. With 9378 ODI runs amd 6215 Test runs, he was central to India’s middle order. Unfortunately match fixing scandal ruined his career.
Matches played 433, Runs 15,593, POM 23, POS 6. He captained India in both Tests and ODIs.
Notable achievements- scored century on debut and again scored 100s in his next two Tests.
21 Vijay Merchant, Bombay, 1933-1951. Batter
Regarded as ‘Bradman of the East’, he scored 13,470 FC runs with 45 centuries. His international career suffered due to World War 2.Spearheaded the legacy of Bombay’s batting in Indian cricket.
Matches played 10, Runs 859.
Notable achievements- Scored his highest score of 154 in his last innings in 1951.
Rest of the listings I my future weekend blogs.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
13th September 2014