Ravichandran Ashwin chooses his greatest Indian cricketer ever in star-studded bracket

Ravichandran Ashwin was recently handed the difficult task of navigating a bracket featuring some of the biggest names in Indian cricket history to determine his greatest-ever Indian men’s cricketer across formats. While several match-ups left him in a dilemma, one of his quarter-final picks stood out as a major talking point.

Ashwin was asked to choose between Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, and despite acknowledging Kohli’s immense achievements, the former India spinner eventually backed the pace spearhead.

Ravichandran Ashwin picks Jasprit Bumrah over Virat Kohli

Kohli’s credentials, especially in Test cricket and across formats, made the decision far from straightforward for Ashwin. However, after some deliberation, he eventually went with Bumrah.

“Goodness gracious me. Test cricket. Virat is an absolute legend. He’s done so well. It’s one tournament. I’ll go with Jasprit Bumrah, man,” Ashwin said during the interaction with ESPNcricinfo.

The former India spinner also admitted that his decision may have been influenced by his own perspective as a bowler.

“Maybe there’s a bit of a partiality. I’ll pick Jasprit Bumrah.”

While Kohli has established himself as one of India’s greatest all-format batters, Bumrah’s emergence as the leader of India’s bowling attack has been equally remarkable. The fast bowler has become a match-winner in Test cricket while also cementing his reputation as one of the finest white-ball bowlers of his generation.

For Ashwin, that body of work was enough to see Bumrah progress at Kohli’s expense.

Ashwin chooses MS Dhoni over Ravindra Jadeja

Another particularly difficult call came when MS Dhoni was pitted against Ravindra Jadeja. Ashwin admitted that he was strongly tempted to pick his former India spin-bowling partner.

“Oh, my goodness. Dhoni vs Ravindra Jadeja. Very tempting to go to Jadeja,” Ashwin said.

However, Dhoni’s achievements as a captain and his contributions across formats ultimately tilted the contest in his favour.

“But Captaincy, ODI, Test cricket. He’s got his credentials. Led the team to, I think, number one ranking and all. So, I’ll stick with MS. Very close for me. I was very tempted to go for Ravindra Jadeja for a wee bit of time.”

Dhoni’s journey in the bracket ended in the next round, though, as Ashwin chose Virender Sehwag over the former India captain.

“My goodness. Virender Sehwag.”

Sehwag had already survived a major test in the opening round when he was placed against Sunil Gavaskar. Ashwin admitted that choosing between the two was particularly uncomfortable before eventually selecting Sehwag.

“Oh gosh, across formats. Virender Sehwag. That’s unfair. That’s unfair to Sunil Gavaskar,” he added.

Sachin Tendulkar eventually emerges as Ashwin’s pick

Ashwin’s bracket featured several other heavyweight contests in the opening round. He picked Sachin Tendulkar over Vijay Hazare, Virat Kohli over Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid over Vinoo Mankad and Jasprit Bumrah over Anil Kumble.

When Ashwin himself was drawn against Sourav Ganguly, he opted not to back himself and instead chose the former India captain.

“Oh, my God. I’ll pick Sourav Ganguly. Let me be absolutely safe.”

As the bracket progressed, Tendulkar defeated Ganguly, Kapil Dev got past Dravid, Sehwag overcame Dhoni, and Bumrah knocked out Kohli to set up the semi-finals.

Tendulkar then defeated Sehwag, while Kapil Dev ended Bumrah’s impressive run. Ashwin was particularly drawn to Kapil’s all-round credentials and his role in India’s historic 1983 World Cup triumph.

“The all-round ability is so tempting, right? 1983 World Cup win. Kapil Dev. Kapil Dev,” Ashwin said.

That left Tendulkar and Kapil to battle it out for the top spot. Faced with two players who played transformative roles in different eras of Indian cricket, Ashwin eventually allowed personal preference to influence his final call.

“Personal bias should count at some stage. I’ll go with Sachin Tendulkar.”

And so, after a bracket filled with legendary names and several difficult decisions, Ashwin ultimately crowned Tendulkar as his greatest-ever Indian men’s cricketer across formats.