5 greatest players from Tamil Nadu
The southern state of Tamil Nadu has remained a fertile ground for budding cricketers since several decades. Cricket is more than a sport around Chennai and the love this game garners in this city is exhibited by the immense fan following of Chennai Super Kings, IPL's famous franchise.
In the recent years, the state has specially produced some highly elegant and classy top order batsmen along with pace bowlers like L Balaji. The Dinesh Karthiks, Badrinaths and Ramans have been a legend in domestic cricket and their contribution to India's national team cannot be ignored.
Making a list top five cricketers from Tamil Nadu is a daunting task as options are in plenty. After analyzing the stats and the impact of these players, this is a compilation of top five cricketers from this southern state. Check out, who have made to this elite club!
#5. Robin Singh
Robin Singh was way ahead of his times. He represented India in an era when fielding wasn't considered a skill and cricketers were either batsmen or bowler. Robin brought with him quickness in the field and soon became the best Indian fielder and his all-around skills imparted the much-needed balance in the team.
Although he couldn't reach the benchmark set by Kapil Dev for an all-rounder, Robin was an essential cog in the Indian team during the late 1990's.
The Tamil Nadu player was known for punching above his weight and despite his limitations, made a mark due to his nerveless batting, powerful hitting, and cool headed bowling. His major contribution though came in the cover point region where he placed himself to become an unbreakable wall in the path of the ball.
His finest all-around performance came against Sri-Lanka in 1997, when he slammed a hundred and picked three wickets in four overs and his run-a-ball 82 at Dhaka in 1998 enabled India to register a memorable win against Pakistan.
A man who was more than the sum of his parts, he was the perfect 'utility cricketer' even before the term made its appearance in ODI cricket.