Sportskeeda's Top 50 Indian Test cricketers of all-time (20-11)
After unveiling ranks 30-21 last week, we move on to the next set of players who have captivated Indian cricket aficionados with their remarkable exploits over the years. This segment of our comprehensive weekend feature comprises of numerous stylish batsmen as well as match-winning bowlers.
Following are the key factors which have been taken into account while evaluating the performances of these legendary cricketers.
a) Overall career consistency.
b) Performances in matches won.
c) Performances in Tests outside India.
d) Game-changing efforts in big matches against quality opponents on Indian soil.
e) Stature in world cricket; opinions of peers and various experts.
f) Establishing new trends by breaking previously existing stereotypes.
g) Minimum cut-off of 1000 runs for batsmen/100 wickets for bowlers/50 dismissals for wicket-keepers in order to formulate a meaningful sample size.
h) Statistics have not been assumed to be the be-all and end-all of a player’s value. A general consensus has been arrived after factoring in every aspect of each cricketer’s career.
#20 Mohinder Amarnath
When one wallows into nostalgia and remembers the mayhem caused by the fearsome West Indies fast bowlers of yore, Sunil Gavaskar's name may instantly pop into the head. However, there was one man whose exploits against the Caribbean speedsters were much bigger than the venerated Mumbaikar. If courage was considered the foremost virtue of a batsman, then Mohinder Amarnath probably surpasses almost every iconic name in India's illustrious batting legacy.
Extra Cover: Mohinder Amarnath - The man who tamed the four-headed beast
During the unforgettable 1983 tour of the West Indies, Amarnath was the lone Indian batsman to stand tall against the likes of Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts and Joel Garner.
Even as the four horsemen of the apocalypse wreaked havoc on seam-friendly surfaces, the right-hander's astonishing tally of 598 runs helped India emerge with a creditable 2-0 defeat. He also resisted a menacing Imran Khan who was clocking serious pace in the 1982/83 series in Pakistan.
Although he was prone to inconsistency (as evidenced from his infamous sequence of ducks), Amarnath did not relent and had the fortitude to make quite a few comebacks into the Indian team.
Career Span: 1969-1988
Statistics: 4378 runs from 69 matches at an average of 42.50 with 11 centuries and 24 fifties