Ravi Shastri picks three best Indian spinners of all time, ignores Ashwin, Jadeja, Harbhajan (Source – Fox Cricket)
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri left out Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Harbhajan Singh’s names when he was asked to pick his top three Indian spinners of all time. Shastri is currently in Australia as he is doing commentary in the high-voltage Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25).
Shastri was asked to name the top three Indian spinners of all time. Notably, Ashwin is India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests as well as in international cricket. Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja are also considered legendary spinners, having bagged 417 (103 Tests) and 319 (77 Tests) wickets, respectively.
However, Shastri opted to mention the names of the former star spinner, Erapalli Prasanna, and the former India captains, late Bishan Singh Bedi and Anil Kumble, respectively. The cricketer-turned-commentator picked Kumble as the third spinner, recalling how lethal the leg-spinner was, especially in Indian conditions and also his never-say-die attitude.
“I’ll say the one I’ve seen the latest. That’s why I put a three. It has to be Anil Kumble. He was lethal, especially in our conditions. He was relentless. He was a competitor. It was not just bowling in India. He would bowl his heart out wherever he played across the globe. And to take over 600 wickets is no mean achievement,” Shastri said during a Fox Sports show.
Shastri picked Prasanna as India’s second-best spinner of all time. He remembered that Prasanna would come with the Indian team as the manager after his retirement and get batters at the nets out with his guile and deception. While picking the number one Indian spinner of all time, Shastri showed no signs of hesitation as he named left-arm spinner Bedi.
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“No. 2 spinner has to be Prasanna. I saw him towards the end of his career. But then, you know, he came out even as manager of the team to Australia, and he would bowl a lot in the nets. The deception that he had—he could make the ball drop, he could hold it back at any stage—bowled some great lines,” the 62-year-old continued.
“He bowled in the nets and would get all the top guys out because he had this ability. He had this floater, which was like a backspin delivery, not the doosra. So, it was like with his hands, he would flick it backwards, come backwards in pitch, and then leave the bat, you know, and get the off stumps,” he added further.
“No. 1 has to be Bishan (Bedi). No question, poetry in motion. That kind of action you’ll give anything for,” Shastri concluded.
Bedi, Prasanna and Kumble picked over 1,000 wickets for India in Tests
Speaking of the late Bishen Singh Bedi, the former legendary India spinner ended with 266 wickets from 67 matches in his Test career. Meanwhile, Prasanna dismissed 189 batters in 49 Tests. Kumble, on the other hand, is India’s highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, having bagged 619 scalps from 132 Tests.