Ravi Shastri picks his five greatest Indian cricketers of all time; excludes Rohit Sharma, Sourav Ganguly & Rahul Dravid

Former Team India head coach and commentator Ravi Shastri has revealed the picks of his five greatest Indian cricketers of all time, excluding the likes of former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, Indian opening batter Rohit Sharma, and many more.

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Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Shastri stated that his selection includes a combination of flair, longevity, and impact. Talking about his list, it included Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli.

“Definitely (Sunil) Gavaskar, Kapil (Dev), Sachin (Tendulkar), and Virat (Kohli) definitely for being… I am looking at the most influential players of that era. Bishan (Singh Bedi) would have been there, but MS (Dhoni) again. MS will come in, and then Bumrah is still here. Bumrah is young; Bumrah has still got cricket. I am saying the guys who have almost finished their cricket, so these will be the five,” Shastri said.

When asked, “Who’s the No. 1?" by Cook, Shastri said, “Gavaskar, I would say batting. Kapil, wow, a fabulous cricketer, and I would put the entire package no. 1 would be Tendulkar because of the expectations and because of longevity, for having played 24 years in the game,” he noted.

“24 years is a lot of time, and he has played… 100 hundreds. He played every pace attack of that decade. He started playing against Wasim (Akram), Waqar (Younis), and Imran (Khan). Then went on to the Aussies, then the English attack Broady (Stuart Broad) and (James) Anderson. South African attack (Jacques) Kallis, Shaun (Pollock). He is pure as technique-wise and following-wise," he observed.

While Sachin Tendulkar still holds the record for the most runs and centuries scored in international cricket, Sunil Gavaskar emerged as the first batter to reach the 10,000-run mark in Tests. 

On the other hand, Kapil Dev became the first Indian captain to steer the side to World Cup victory in 1983. Moreover, Virat Kohli has a plethora of records both as a batter and as a captain, under whom Shastri enjoyed a brief coaching stint. Additionally, MS Dhoni went on to win all the ICC titles, becoming the first Indian captain to achieve this feat.

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