Best Spinner For India Ever?.

[Nikhil]

Originally Posted by Rachael

but a little harsh on Kumble, perhaps: in any other era he'd have been as much of a legend as the others.

...Pollock is to seam bowling - the master craftsman.

What astonishes me is that Kumble has been so incredibly successful on EVERY surface. He's that bit faster than Warne, and seem sto do better than the master leg spinner on subcontinetal wicket. Equally, he's better able to exploit bounce than Murali.. and has tended to do better than the off-spinner on (for example) Aussie pitches.
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I would say, in my previous post, Kumble being "not talented" was a bit misplaced. Kumble is talented, but not in giving the ball a rip, but in using variations and bounce. He is very much like Pollock, though the later has a much better average to boast.

The real thing about Kumble that is so pleasing is the way he has matured. He is as much a craftsman now, as Warne or Murali are. He is using a great amoung of guile and variations (even the smallest) in bounce, pace and spin. The top spinner is so much more effective now than before and added with the occasional googly it has become outstanding.

[fair_&_balance]

Originally Posted by Nikhil

This one is really really interesting. I can not put my finger on just a single person. Talentwise, Kumble will stand the last among the following from first to last
1. Subhash Gupte
2. Chandra
3. Bedi
4. Prasanna
5. Venkat
6. Kumble
7. Harbhajan

One may add Sivramakrishan in somewhere, but for the sake of it, let's forget him. He was a good spinner, but not in the category of the above.

Now, Subhash Gupte is perhaps the least known of the all, but take my word, from the accounts I have heard about him, he was a magician. He was more than just a leg-spinner. He was amazing. He had all the weapons a leg-spinner can dream of and could use them at will with a control, that can only be dreamed of. He could have been the best leg-spinner ever, but for faith.

The next three are well and truely legends. Harbhajan has a lot of skill and passion. Venkat was a very good offspiner, often over-shadowed by the other three.

But, for me Kumble has to be the best spinner for India. Not from the point of view of talent, but the sheer perseverance, commitement and ability to bowl long spells is unmatched. He has won India more matches than most of the others. He is the Sachin Tendulkar of Indian bowling.

Nice post Nikhil. I will agree about almost everything that you said except one thing that is Kumble doesnt belong so low in terms of talent. I think We all have tendency to glorify players from past and underplay present players. I think Kumble would be somewhere before Venkat. Also Dilip Doshi also belong in list may be before Venkat. He was unlucky to be born during the days of Bedi,Parsanna and Chandra otherwise Doshi would have gone long way. He also has to be blamed for being on wrongside of Gavasker.
Infect 70s was such a period that Indian produced so many good spinners only problem was that only 3-4 could play. Few others would be Rajinder Goyal,Raghuram Bhatt & Shivalkar.

[Maranello]

Nice summary Nikhil, agree with most of what you say....

best ever for India..hmm, I am unsure between Bedi or Chandra, but Bedi edges it IMO...though, in their different ways, both were so effective