Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has named his top five greatest Indian cricketers of all time. And while the list includes legends from multiple eras, one big name is missing: Rohit Sharma.
Shastri shared his picks in a chat on The Overlap Cricket podcast, where he joined Phil Tufnell, Sir Alastair Cook, David Lloyd and Michael Vaughan in a special "Stick to Cricket" episode.
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Shastri's all-time list spans across five decades of Indian cricket and includes Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. The former all-rounder made it clear that his choices were based on influence, impact and consistency across generations, not just statistics.
Ravi Shastri's top 5 greatest Indian cricketers
Shastri took a decade-by-decade approach when explaining his selections.
"It'll be Sunny [Gavaskar] from the 70s, Kapil from the 80s, Sachin from the 90s, Dhoni and Virat from the 2000s and 2010s. These are the five," Shastri said.
He acknowledged that players like Jasprit Bumrah may earn a spot in the future but insisted his list was for those who have nearly completed their careers.
"Bumrah is still playing. I'm talking about guys who have almost finished their cricket," he added.
Shastri praised each player's influence but reserved the No. 1 spot for one man who carried the hopes of an entire nation -- Tendulkar.
"As an entire package, I'd say Tendulkar is number one. The expectations, the longevity - 24 years in international cricket, 100 centuries. He played against every major pace attack. He was pure," he concluded.
No place for Rohit Sharma
Shastri's list excludes current India ODI captain Rohit Sharma and former greats like Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble - names often in the conversation for India's best-ever.
But for Shastri, the five he picked were not just greats but also era-defining players who shaped Indian cricket across different generations.