From Bumrah’s Brilliance to Sachin’s Legend: The Tough Calls Behind R. Ashwin’s All-Time Bracket

Choosing India's greatest cricketer is never going to produce an easy answer, and Ravichandran Ashwin's all-time bracket proved exactly why. From Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah to MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar, every round forced the former India spinner to compare players who shaped entirely different eras of the game.

One of the biggest surprises came when he picked Jasprit Bumrah ahead of Virat Kohli. While acknowledging Kohli's extraordinary achievements and stature in Test cricket, Ashwin eventually leaned towards Bumrah; perhaps, as he admitted, because of a bowler's natural appreciation for another bowler.

Another difficult call came when MS Dhoni was paired with Ravindra Jadeja. While tempted by Jadeja's all-round ability, Ashwin chose Dhoni, citing his captaincy and achievements across formats. But Dhoni's journey ended in the next round when Ashwin picked Virender Sehwag over the former India captain.

Ashwin also revealed how uncomfortable some decisions were. When Sehwag knocked out Sunil Gavaskar, he called the choice “unfair” to the legendary opener. Elsewhere, he chose Tendulkar over Sourav Ganguly and Kapil Dev over Rahul Dravid, setting up a fascinating final.

That set up a final between two cricketers who shaped Indian cricket in very different ways; Kapil Dev, the leader of India's 1983 World Cup triumph, and Sachin Tendulkar, whose career inspired generations. Ashwin's final choice was perhaps the easiest.

“Personal bias should count at some stage. I'll go with Sachin Tendulkar,” he said.

For Ashwin, however, the final choice was clear. Personal preference played its part, and the bracket ended with Tendulkar standing above the rest; a fitting conclusion to a journey filled with difficult calls and unexpected choices.