Former India head coach and legendary all-rounder Ravi Shastri recently revealed his picks for the top five Indian cricketers of all time. Surprisingly, his list did not include two iconic names: Rahul Dravid and Jasprit Bumrah. The exclusion raised eyebrows, especially considering Bumrah’s rise during Shastri’s coaching era and Dravid’s reputation as one of India’s finest Test batsmen.
Gavaskar, Kapil, Sachin, Dhoni & Kohli Make the Cut
During his appearance on the show ‘Stick to Cricket,’ Shastri named his all-time Indian greats: Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli.
“𝑫𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝑮𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕. 𝑲𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒍, 𝑺𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏, 𝑽𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚. 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒆𝒓𝒂. 𝑴𝑺 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏,”
Ravi Shastri said during the show. He clarified that while Bumrah is an extraordinary talent, his career is still unfolding: “Bumrah is still has cricket.”
Shastri shared a long professional history with Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, including being teammates during India’s historic 1983 World Cup win. He also praised Tendulkar for his incredible longevity and ability to perform under immense pressure.
“𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒌𝒂𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒔,”
Shastri emphasised.
His inclusion of Dhoni and Kohli was based on their remarkable records as captains. Dhoni led India to numerous white-ball triumphs, while Kohli holds the record for most Test wins by an Indian captain.
India vs Pakistan Still Cricket’s Biggest Rivalry, Says Shastri
The conversation also touched on global cricket rivalries. When asked to name the biggest rivalry in the sport, Shastri replied:
“𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅, 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂-𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆, 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆.”
However, he acknowledged a shift in recent years:
“Having said that, I think in the last ten years, India-Australia has taken up.”
He pointed out the record-breaking crowd at the 2024–25 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, which saw the highest attendance since Don Bradman’s era in 1936. Shastri noted that fans from across the world turned up in huge numbers for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Shastri Sees Bright Future in Washington Sundar
In a separate segment, Ravi Shastri praised all-rounder Washington Sundar, suggesting that he could play a key role for India in the years to come. “Sundar can be a genuine all-rounder for India,” he noted, highlighting the youngster’s versatility and composure under pressure.
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