Top 12 Popular and Best Indian Cricket Players of all time
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“Here at the lovely Eden Gardens, its Kapil Dev running in from the pavilion end to bowl to Javed Miandad….” … Those vibrant words from the commentator’s way back in the era of All India Radio sound like melody even today and it’s glowing part of India’s dominant sports fraternity. With the advent of Television, Internet although Radio has suffered a setback but the sports Cricket has stayed as a greatly passionate and popular game which was very famous in the Easter years and is continuously attracting the vast population and increasing its huge fan base today. Cricket, the game that was known to be invented by the British of the United Kingdom, was firstly introduced in India by the Great Ranjit Singhji after whose name India’s biggest and most significant domestic competition The Ranji Trophy that began on July 1934. Even before than India’s first International Assignment was back in the year 1911 when they toured England to play their first ever test match they played. Later on, they again visited England in the year 1932 when the team was named as “All-India” cricket team. They played one test match at the Lord’s Cricket Ground and that was 1st ever Test Match to have been played by Independent India. Our first International series victory was against Pakistan back in 1952 which came soon after Independence.
So much so about the brief history of Indian Cricket. But what about those phenomenal men who made our cricketing history proud? Here is the list of 25 Popular and Best Indian Cricket Players of all time without whom our country would never have achieved the position in the cricketing fraternity for which we are famously known all over the world :
(1) CK. Nayudu:
Famously known as CK, he was the first player who captained India in Test Matches. He made his 1st Test appearance against England in the year 1932 and played his last against the same opposition in the year 1936. During his entire cricketing career, he played 7 Tests, averaging 25 with the bat and a career-best score of 81. His significant contributions include memorable innings of 153 runs that included 11 sixes against Arthur Gillian led MCC side that toured India during 1926-27. His fitness was supreme those days which can be signified by the fact that he played a first-class match at the age of 62 where he scored 52 against Uttar Pradesh which was the last innings of his career. During his 1936 tour to England and also the 1933-34 seasons he averaged 37.59 with the bat and scored more than 1000 runs and took 51 wickets in first-class cricket. His last trip was in a charitable organization coordinated in 1963-64 when he performed for the Maharashtra Governor’s XI against the Maharashtra Primary Minister’s XI. Apart from the National Indian Team, he represented the teams like Hindus, Madras, Hyderabad, Central Regions and Berar, Holkar, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Indians and much more. He was also a real fanatic of tennis and throughout in connection to soccer.
(2) Lala Amarnath:
Father of former Indian cricketer an all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath, Lala Amarnath was a gigantic figure in Indian cricket history. He was the first captain of Independent India under whom India won the first Test series in 1952. He played 21 Test matches for India after the World War. Lala was one of the finest all-rounders India has ever produced. He led India in England tour in the year 1936. A strong man by personality he never was scared of criticism and always stood by the point. He always put his team in priority ahead of personal things and would never support anything wrong. An efficient team player, Lala Amarnath will always be remembered for his significant contributions in the history of the game of cricket. He played as many as 24 Test matches scoring 848 runs with an average of 24.38 with one hundred and four fifties. His Test best was 118. As a bowler, he took 45 wickets with two 5 wicket halls with best of 5/96. One remarkable player and a popular and best Indian cricket players of all time.
(3)Vijay Merchant:
Another all-time great Indian Cricketer, he was as good as Sunil Gavaskar as far as technique is concerned. He hardly missed playing the new ball in the uncovered pitches in England. That spoke immensely about his technique. It’s a pity that he only played 10 Test Matches in his career span that lasted from 1929 to 1951. Even though he played only few Test Matches, he is regarded very highly regarded by all cricketing pundits all over the world. He was a very attractive stoke maker who could play all the cricketing shots in the book. In his tour of England, he collected almost 900 runs thereby making an English Cricketer, CB Fry exclaim to paint him white and take to Australia as an opening batsman. He was the oldest player in Test history to score a Test hundred where is scored 154 against England in 1951-52 at Delhi. In his 10 Test matches, he averaged 47.72 with 3 fifties and 3 hundreds to his name scoring 859 runs with 154 his best in his last Test Innings.
(4)Vijay Hazare:
He was the 1st ever Indian who scored hundreds in both innings against Australia, in tests played after Independence, in the year 1948. He was extremely efficient batsman in terms of technique. He was a very fluent batsman who handled both pace and spins very confidently. He could also bowl right arm quick. He was the captain of India during the 1951 to 1953 seasons and led India to 14 Tests and India’s first ever Test victory came under his captaincy against England at Madras which India won by an Innings and 8 runs in the year 1951-52. He had a very good record in Tests where scored 2192 runs with a very respectable batting average of 47.65 where he amassed 7 hundreds and 9 fifties. His career best was 164 not out. He was also a more than capable bowler where he took 20 wickets in Tests with his best figures reading 4/29. He the first ever Indian player to complete 1000 Test runs. He held the world record of highest number of runs in a partnership in first-class cricket for 577 runs with Gul Mahomed in 1947 Ranji Trophy final against Baroda which was broken by Sangakkara and Jayawardene of Sri Lanka in 2006 with a stand of 624 runs against South Africa. Truly an all-time great cricketer India has ever produced.
(5)Vijay Manjerekar:
Another past Indian Great, he was a masterstroke maker who courageously played the hook shot very well and also was a very fine cutter of the ball. He played 55 Test Matches for India in which his most significant series was against England in the year 1961-62 where he scored 586 runs with an outstanding batting average of 83.71 against a hostile English fast bowling attack that included Fred Trueman, Sir Alec Bedser and others. In this series came his highest Test score of unbeaten 189 which he scored in Delhi and he also amassed 7 hundreds in the entire tour. His significant contributions also include an innings of 59 and 39 runs in a Test match against Australia in the 1964-65 series which helped India to win the match. He also scored a hundred in his last Test Match Innings against New Zealand which came in 1965 in the month of February. In the 55 Test matches he played he averaged 39.12 with 3208 runs which included 7 hundreds and 15 fifties, with 189 not out his best. He was batsman who had a calibre of averaging way over 40’s in Test matches since his batting average did not do justice to his potential. But still was a class apart and a true Indian Cricket Legend.
(6)Polly Umrigar:
A legendary Indian Cricketer of 1950’s, Poly Umrigar captained India in 8 consecutive Tests which two Tests against New Zealand both of which India won by an innings. There were many memorable performances that came from this iconic Indian cricketer which include a series in the year 1959 where he was a topper of the batting averages and also he played one of his best knocks in his career against a formidable West Indies fast bowling attack that included the likes of Wes Hall, Roy Gilchrist etc. He also scored heavily in the home series against Pakistan in 1952-53 with 560 runs with four fifties and couple of hundreds. He played a very crucial knock against a test against England where he scored 130 not out which helped India win. In his England tour in the year 1959 he scored a breathtaking 118 against Fred Trueman, Brian Statham at Old Trafford. In the same year India toured West Indies and though India lost all the five Test Matches of the series, he finished with 445 runs and 9 wickets in the series with his best being 172 not out. In 59 Tests Umrigar averaged an impressive 42.22 with 3631 runs with 12 hundreds and 14 fifties and 223 being his best test score. He also took 5 wickets twice in an innings with best being 6/74. He captained India for another three years but never again captained the nation. His 337 runs operate in a five-Test Match Series was the maximum by an Indian at that time.
(7)Vinoo Mankad:
Known as Mulvantrai Himmatlal Mankad, was well known for the World Record opening stand he had with Pankaj Roy against New Zealand in the year 1956 at Madras. He shared an opening stand of 413 runs that remained unbeaten for 52 years. In that match he scored 231 runs which was at that time an Indian Test Best Score until it was bettered by Sunil Gavaskar A genuine and a rare commodity all-rounder the game has produced he was very effective equally with the bat and ball. In the year 1952 in a Test Match against England at Lord’s he was the top scorer for India with the bat when he scored 72 and took 5/196 where he bowled 73 overs. In fact, Mankad was one of the three non -England players from “away” whose name appears in the honours board at Lords’ in England both with bat and ball. Mankad played a significant role in India winning against England in Madras in 1952 where he took 8/53 in the 1st Innings and 4/53 in the 2nd Innings helping India to register their first ever Test Match against the British. Mankad played 44 Test Matches averaging 31.47 scoring 5 hundreds and 6 fifties with a career best of 231. He also took 162 wickets with bets being 8/52. He captured 5 wickets in an innings 8 times and twice he took 10 wickets in an innings. He was not free from controversy, as in the year 1947-48 during India’s tour of Australia he ran Bill Brown (Australia) for the batsman was out of the ground in his end. That incident is famously or infamously called now as “Mankading.”
(8) Nari Contractor:
A very talented Indian batsman whose promising career was cut short due to devastating injury that almost took his life. He was a very courageous batsman as in spite of two broken ribs by England quickie Brian Statham, he scored a very brave 81. In the same year later he played a crucial knock of 74 against Australia at Kanpur which helped India to register their 1st ever Test victory against Australia. In the 1961-62 series against West Indies he led India in the Caribbean where he faced a serious blow in the head of a vicious delivery from an West Indian fast bowler Charlie Griffith which led him unconscious in hospital for six days and when he needed blood transfusion, the then West Indian captain and Great Frank Worrell was the first to donate blood to him. In his short career of 31 Tests he scored 1611 runs with an average of 31.58 where he scored a solitary hundred and 11 fifties. His top score was 108. Nari played on those days where the batsman would have no protective gear to safeguard against bodily injuries which makes the runs he scored immensely valuable. If not due to injury, this man could have been certainly an Indian maestro who would have served India for a long time than he actually did.
A very talented Indian batsman whose promising career was cut short due to devastating injury that almost took his life. He was a very courageous batsman as in spite of two broken ribs by England quickie Brian Statham, he scored a very brave 81. In the same year later he played a crucial knock of 74 against Australia at Kanpur which helped India to register their 1st ever Test victory against Australia. In the 1961-62 series against West Indies he led India in the Caribbean where he faced a serious blow in the head of a vicious delivery from an West Indian fast bowler Charlie Griffith which led him unconscious in hospital for six days and when he needed blood transfusion, the then West Indian captain and Great Frank Worrell was the first to donate blood to him. In his short career of 31 Tests he scored 1611 runs with an average of 31.58 where he scored a solitary hundred and 11 fifties. His top score was 108. Nari played on those days where the batsman would have no protective gear to safeguard against bodily injuries which makes the runs he scored immensely valuable. If not due to injury, this man could have been certainly an Indian maestro who would have served India for a long time than he actually did.
(9)Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi:
Nicknamed as Tiger Pataudi he was captain courageous and led India in successful ventures. He is often described as India’s greatest cricket captain. He was the youngest player to captain India at the age of 21 years and despite an accident that permanently damaged one of his eyes, it did not stop him from playing cricket as he could find it easy to play with one eye with a cap pulled over the other. Against England, in Madras, he scored 103 in the Third Test which helped India to register their first Test Series Victory against the British. From 1961 to 1975 Tiger Pataudi played 46 Test Matches for India where he scored 2793 runs with a career average of 34.91 scoring 6 hundreds and 17 fifties in his name. His best score being 203 not out. Under his captaincy India won 9 tests, drew 19 and lost 19. It was under his captaincy that India recorded their first ever overseas Test victory against New Zealand which came in the year 1968. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1968, and Indian Cricketer of the Year in 1962. A true Indian legend which is born once in a generation.
Nicknamed as Tiger Pataudi he was captain courageous and led India in successful ventures. He is often described as India’s greatest cricket captain. He was the youngest player to captain India at the age of 21 years and despite an accident that permanently damaged one of his eyes, it did not stop him from playing cricket as he could find it easy to play with one eye with a cap pulled over the other. Against England, in Madras, he scored 103 in the Third Test which helped India to register their first Test Series Victory against the British. From 1961 to 1975 Tiger Pataudi played 46 Test Matches for India where he scored 2793 runs with a career average of 34.91 scoring 6 hundreds and 17 fifties in his name. His best score being 203 not out. Under his captaincy India won 9 tests, drew 19 and lost 19. It was under his captaincy that India recorded their first ever overseas Test victory against New Zealand which came in the year 1968. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1968, and Indian Cricketer of the Year in 1962. A true Indian legend which is born once in a generation.
(10)Sunil Gavaskar:
With due respect to Sachin Tendulkar, many term Sunil Gavaskar as India’s all-time best Test batsman. His technique was unquestionable and backed it up supreme courage as he faced the mighty fast bowling attacks of England, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies etc. He is regarded quite highly in the cricket fraternity simply because he faced the fast bowling quartet of the Windies in the 70’s and 80’s with utmost ease who were terrorised many teams and who are, still at today’s date are still considered as nightmares. His courage can be defined by the simple fact that in those days’ players would hardly have such protective equipment which is no way anywhere near to what modern players use today. Sunil use to face the fast bowlers bare-headed in most of his career and towards the end of his stint he used to wear a ‘skull-cap’ just to guard his head. He featured in 125 Test Matches in India and in 108 ODI’s with his highest score being 236 not out against the West Indies in 1983 in Chennai which was an Indian record at that time. He was also the highest century scorer in Tests (34) which was overtaken by Sachin Tendulkar, and highest run-getter (10122 runs) which was taken over by a former Australian Captain Allan Border. A prolific scorer he is also a deserving member of the ‘Hall of Fame.’
(11) Gundappa Vishwanath:
Played his cricket in the era of the Great Sunil Gavaskar, Vishwanath, formerly known as Vishi, was another world-class batsman who was primarily known for his unmatched wrist-work. A man with superlative technique personified he was known for his artistic square-cuts of the front foot which he would do it to even with the best of deliveries he faced. He represented India during the 1970’s where he played significant part in 91 Tests from 1969 to 1983 scoring 6080 runs with an average of 41.93 with 14 hundreds and 35 half-centuries. The highlight of his cricketing career was the fact that he scored almost all his runs against dominant sides on tough and challenging wickets. Some examples includes fifty in each innings on a green-top in New Zealand against the same opposition. He held a career average of more than 50 in Test Matches against the fast bowling attacks in the likes of Australia, West Indies. In a Test Match against the West Indies in the year 1974-75, he scored 97 not out against that fiery pace attack which is regarded as 38th best innings of all time by Wisden and 2nd all-time best innings which is a non-hundred. Vishi is regarded as the best batsman of his time by one of his contemporaries, Sunil Gavaskar who considers Vishi even a better batsman than himself.
(12) Kapil Dev:
One of the all-time great all rounder’s in the history of cricket; India was blessed to have such a terrific player who was a genuine match-winner with both bat and ball. Not to mention, he was a supreme athlete and class fielder as well. He has won many critical matches of India single-handed and he was the one who instigated the belief in an underrated cricket team which eventually won the Prudential World Cup in 1983 against that time mighty and 3-time world champions the West Indies. In the ages when India lacked fast bowling talent it was Kapil Dev who stepped forward and took the challenge and his records speaks of itself. Having played 131 Test’s and 225 ODI matches, he significantly scored closed to 5500 runs in Tests and about 3700 runs in ODI’s mostly in India’s winning cause. Not only that he was a key wicket taker for India who took 434 Test wickets and 253 ODI wickets as well. He was the highest wicket-taker in the world in Test Matches breaking Sir Richard Hadlee’s record till Courtney Walsh overtook him. He played the master class innings of 175 not out against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup when India were down and out that eventually helped India to not only win the game but they went on to win the trophy as well. That’s the reason why this game-changing innings is termed as all-time Great ODI Innings in Indian Cricket. Of late, Kapil was included in the elite group of International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ‘Hall of Fame.’