Ranking India's top 10 match winners in men's Test cricket ft. Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag
India, a powerhouse in Test cricket, have seen several match-winners over the years. All these players have contributed immensely to the sport's growth in the country over the years, and earned places of pride for themselves.
These players have performed consistently in home and alien conditions and showcased that they deserve to be among the top echelons of cricketers. Their grit, determination, and mental fortitude set them apart.
To celebrate them, as well as the contributions that they have made to cricket over the courses of their respective careers, in this listicle, we take a look at India's top ten match winners in Test cricket:
#10 Ravindra Jadeja
One of the first names on this list has to be that of Ravindra Jadeja, who has single-handedly won India several games. His effectiveness with both bat and ball has often made him stand apart from his colleagues. Jadeja has been nigh on unplayable on turning tracks.
However, the Saurashtra all-rounder's record away from home is not bad either. He has been at the forefront of the team's spin bowling attack alongside Ravichandran Ashwin and has often pipped the latter in the playing XI on non-turning tracks. Jadeja's fielding skills are also legendary.
#9 Kapil Dev
The iconic Kapil Dev, under whom India won their first ODI World Cup in 1983, changed the course of an entire generation by rebelling against the establishment and decreeing for himself how he wanted to play the game. In an era when defensive cricket was the norm, Kapil changed the nature of the sport.
He was an aggressive player with both bat and ball but excelled the most on the bowling front. Several former cricketers say that Dev was born with his outswinger, but it is a testament to his hard work that he played in 131 Tests while hardly missing any with injury.
#8 Sunil Gavaskar
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar, upon whom was laid the moniker 'The Little Master' owing to his diminutive stature, was perhaps the first Indian cricketer who stood up to fight against the rest of the world. His debut series in the West Indies in 1971, in which he amassed 774 runs in eight innings, laid down the marker for him.
Gavaskar's grit was legendary, as can be seen by how he faced all fast bowlers in his generation on uncovered pitches without even wearing a helmet. That he was competent enough to do so speaks volumes about his technique.
The Mumbai maestro may not have been at the forefront of many winning occasions for India - indeed, there were seldom in that generation - but his determination proved to the world that Indians could also compete and hold their own against the very best.
#7 Virender Sehwag
Former opener Virender Sehwag was a batter who dictated the rhythm of a match and often put his foot down against the opposition to prove who was the boss. An extremely aggressive player, Sehwag was among the first in the world to prove that opening batting need not be defensive or dour all the time.
Scoring 8,586 runs at the top of the order with an average of 49 is not easy, nor is amassing two triple centuries in the format. He averaged 54.65 in winning causes for India, with the first of the triples - 309 against Pakistan in Multan in 2004 - being the cream of the lot.
#6 Ravichandran Ashwin
What needs to be spoken of Ravichandran Ashwin, perhaps the greatest off-spin bowling all-rounder modern-day cricket has seen? The Chennai-born star has showcased to the world that he can bat and bowl with ease given how he likes to combine his God-given talent with his steely work ethic.
Ashwin has a staggering 527 Test wickets to his name. Rarely have India lost a series at home with Ashwin in the team, and the same has applied overseas. Unfortunately, the 38-year-old was often given short shrift by the management when touring.
#5 VVS Laxman
Ah - the most elegant of them all, the man with the silken touch, the man who painted with the bat instead of his brush - what other epithets are needed to describe VVS Laxman?
The former Hyderabad batter was at the forefront of many an iconic win for India in his heyday, given his uncanny ability to bring out the best in himself when the chips were down and with his back to the wall.
The 281 against Australia at the Eden Gardens in 2001 has often been spoken about at length for being perhaps the greatest Test innings ever played. But Laxman can by no means be defined by a sole knock.
A tad unlucky not to have scored 10,000 runs in Test cricket, Laxman could match even the great Sachin Tendulkar for strokeplay, with his elegance surpassing any mistimed shots the latter would emit to pile-up runs.
#4 Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid, whose greatest ability, as spoken at length years ago, was to reassure the Indian public that things were alright even when they did not seem to be so, is one of the greatest cricketers this country has produced.
While his match-winning streak may seem at his best against Australia (2001, 2004), Dravid was a man filled with class to the brim and who would even walk on broken glass if the Indian team management had asked him to.
Whether it was his monk-like ton against England at Headingley in 2002, the grit shown in Adelaide a couple of years later or the famous series win in the West Indies and England in 2006 and 2007 respectively, Dravid is easily the best player India have had for foreign conditions.
The former Karnataka captain was easily the most technically sound batter this country produced, and although he took his time to grind bowlers down, he often played shots that warmed one's heart. The cover drive as well as the square cut were his trademark shots.
#3 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is among the handful of cricketers on this list who are still plying their trade. The Delhi dasher is among the best batters of this generation, and he has constantly showcased that to the world with his performances. The 36-year-old averages a staggering 51 in winning causes for India in Tests.
With more than half of his runs in Test cricket having come in winning causes, Kohli knows a thing or two about dominating opponents. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru star also ushered in a new work ethic in Indian cricket that focused on getting fitter to perform better at the crease.
#2 Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar, often referred to as the 'God of cricket', comes second on this list for the role he played in winning situations for India in Test cricket. Although his early years were shrouded by his presence in a side that had no idea about standing up to their opponents, Tendulkar enjoyed a lot of success later on.
The former Mumbai captain has the most enviable record in this format of the game - or any format of the game, for that matter - having amassed 15,921 runs in the 200 matches. Interestingly, 20 out of the 51 Test tons he scored in his career came in a winning cause.
#1 Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble has to be at the No. 1 position on this list given the number of occasions when he has single-handedly won games for India. Perhaps the best example of this will be the Feroz Shah Kotla Test in 1999 in which he took all ten Pakistani wickets in the second innings.
Be it in the draw in Antigua in 2002 (where he bowled with a broken jaw), or at Headingley in 2002, Adelaide in 2004, Multan in 2004, Kingston in 2006, and Perth in 2008, Kumble was at the forefront of India's most famous Test wins away from home. This speaks volumes about a leg-spinner often written off for his lack of turn.