Compared to batters and bowlers, India has comparatively fewer high-caliber all-rounders. The mantra of Indian cricket throughout history has been to rely on top-order batters and spin bowlers. However, the IPL is giving the all-rounder department high hopes and intriguing potential, but to what extent is it something we should wait and watch? Although there aren’t many high-caliber all-rounders from India, those who exist are remarkable athletes, even on a global scale. Here is our list of the top 10 Indian all-around players in history.
This blog entails cricket news regarding top 5 all-rounders in Indian cricket.
1. Lala Amarnath
India’s top all-around athlete: Yes, the first Indian Test centurion is among the first group of Indian cricketers to appear on this list. Lala Amarnath is a well-known name among us, despite having limited access to the cricket matches that took place before India’s independence. Additionally, he is India’s first independent captain. Amarnath amassed 878 runs and 45 wickets in 24 test matches. Lala Amarnath, one of the earliest Indian all-rounders, made an enduring impact on the squad and the sport of cricket in India.
2. Irfan Pathan
The anticipation marked Irfan Pathan’s professional career that he would replace Kapil Dev. A great all-rounder with a left arm who could bowl and bat both ways entered the Indian team and had an immediate impact. He did so in the first three balls of a test match, becoming the first Indian bowler to do so. He was an obvious pick to play for India’s winning 2007 T20 World Cup team after learning how to knock rapid boundaries late in the innings. He was even given the Man of the Match award in the championship game. There were a lot of expectations placed on Irfan when he signed with Kings XI Punjab for the inaugural IPL season. But his IPL career never took off, and it dropped significantly.
3. Hardik Pandya
The best all-around player for India is currently one of the best in international cricket. Hardik Pandya entered the 2015 IPL season without any prior experience playing at the highest level. Mumbai Indians introduced the slim T20 specialist, a team noted for introducing unexpected players. He can bowl at a medium pace and possesses explosive power in his bat. In his debut IPL season, Hardik Pandya attracted notice and earned a spot in the 2016 T20 World Cup squad. For Mumbai Indians, he and his older brother Krunal Pandya are now a given. In the 2017 Champions Trophy final against Pakistan, Hardik Pandya’s lone-warrior innings did demonstrate his value to India.
4. Manoj Prabhakar
Cricket’s top all-around player from India: Manoj Prabhakar made his debut abroad in 1984 as a medium pacer with a right arm. He was more frequently utilised as an economical bowler to put pressure on the opposition than a strike bowler. He did, however, amass five 5-wicket hauls throughout his career in both the Test and ODI forms. He picked up 96 wickets from 39 Test matches and 157 from 130 ODI matches. His batting talent became apparent when Prabhakar hit a total of 20 half-centuries and three centuries later in his career. He gained notoriety toward the conclusion of his playing career by charging his captain Azharuddin with match-fixing.
5. Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder was well-known for his spectacular performances and was a more expressive all-arounder than his father, Lala Amarnath. He was recognised as the Man of the Tournament and the Man of the Match in the semifinal match against England for his contributions to the success of the 1983 World Cup. Seeing how he evolved from a good medium-fast bowler to a superb top-order batsman was amazing. He bats with a remarkable average of 42.5 in tests and 30.54 in one-day international cricket. Mohinder Amarnath was among the best of his era, with 37 half-centuries and 13 international centuries.
6. Ravi Shastri
The multitasker both on and off the field. That is a fitting way to sum up Ravi Shastri. He altered the game in a way that went against its natural course. Even though batters started to score runs more quickly, he was successful because of his defensive strategy and the high scores he obtained when playing against formidable opponents. He was one of the uncommon athletes who bats right-handed and bowls left-arm orthodox. However, Ravi Shastri occasionally became so merciless that he continued to strike six sixes against Baroda in a single over. The quite excellent numbers of 3108 runs and 129 wickets in ODIs and 3830 runs and 151 wickets in test cricket speak for themselves. He has shown skill in coaching and commenting as well.
7. Vinoo Mankad
Everyone is familiar with Vinoo Mankad’s “Mankading” method of removing a batsman from the game. However, no one is aware of his excellent all-around abilities. There were 2109 runs and 162 wickets taken in the 44 Tests he played in. His accomplishments include eight 5-wicket hauls, two 10-wicket hauls, two double-hundreds, and five hundred. Mankad and Pankaj Roy completed a 413-run opening stand in the 1955–1956 series against New Zealand, setting a 52–year record. One of the unfortunate players who had to compete before the advent of TV is Vinoo Mankad. Otherwise, he would have gone down in Indian cricket history as a beloved legend.
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
IPL offers a platform for rising players in all formats, not just T20. A prime example of such is Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin’s career has been a rollercoaster since he first entered the spotlight as the star spinner for CSK and later developed into MS Dhoni’s trusted assistant in the national squad. He took Harbhajan Singh’s place in the Indian team and successively set new Test records. Ashwin, a street-smart cricketer, created several variations across all formats to confuse the batters. According to cricket updates, Ashwin scored five test hundreds while batting at the bottom of the order. No one could match his test supremacy, even though he was one of the players who lost his spot in the ODI and T20 teams because of the excess spinners in India. His Test career has 30 five-wicket hauls and seven ten-wicket hauls. Ashwin is still one of India’s top all-rounders, combining intelligent batsmanship with smart ramp strokes.
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