Former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock and veteran India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik picked their choices of the Indian team’s greatest batter, bowler, and all-rounder in the ODI format, as the Men in Blue became the first team to play 1000 ODIs in cricket history.
Indian team achieved the historic feat when they faced West Indies in the first ODI of the ongoing three-match series in Ahmedabad on February 6th. The Rohit Sharma-led team celebrated the occasion with a 6-wicket win.
Meanwhile, during the discussion on Cricbuzz, both Pollock and Karthik gave reasons for their picks from the Indian team over the years.
Nikhli Chopra explains why Unmukt Chand failed to make impact like Virat Kohli after U19 triumph
Karthik went first and picked the batters, calling it a close call between two of the biggest superstars the country has produced, and said that there was only Kapil Dev to choose as India’s greatest all-rounder.
"For the greatest batter, there will be a close toss-up between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. It's a hard one to choose between the two. Greatest bowler… immediately Anil Kumble's name comes to mind. Kapil Dev will be the greatest all-rounder India has produced in ODI cricket. The 175 not out, obviously captaining and winning the World Cup. For a bowler, there have been many, but Anil Kumble would be right up there. I'm just running to think who else can be there… Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Karthik also turned to Pollock for help in naming India’s greatest ODI bowlers and Pollock named his one-time opponent, Javagal Srinath as someone to be considered. Srinath was the leader of India's pace attack in the 1990s and after Kapil, was India's first genuine fast bowler.
WI v ENG 2022: Anderson, Broad axed as England announce Test squad for West Indies tour
Pollock was in agreement with Karthik’s pick of Tendulkar and Kohli but added a third option that shouldn’t go unconsidered.
"What about Javagal Srinath? He was brilliant in my time, bowling on those surfaces. Zaheer Khan was brilliant as well. But Kumble I think would be the key. His longevity and ability to perform particularly in those days. I would agree with you on Kapil Dev. The only other name I would throw into the equation is, and that's because of the battles I've had with him and the pressure he put us… Tendulkar, Kohli and maybe Viru. Sehwag would just be underneath those two," Pollock pointed out.
