5 great Indian off-spinners who could really spin the ball

Erapalli Prasanna
Erapalli Prasanna was one of the 

One of the main reasons behind India's rise as a cricketing superpower in the Indian subcontinent is the perpetual presence of great spinners. India over the years has produced a steady line of legendary spinners who have been genuine match winners.

The great thing about spinners is that they bring variety to the game as no two spinners can claim to possess the same action or skill. That is what makes them so enjoyable to watch besides being champions of the game.

Here are five great Indian off-spinners who could really spin the ball.

#1 Erapalli Prasanna

Considered to be one of the finest off-spinners to have ever played for India, Erapalli Prasanna made his Test debut for India against England in 1961. He, however, did not play for India for five years after his first Test and left to complete his engineering degree.

He was a part of the famous spin quartet of Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Bishan Singh Bedi who played a combined 231 Tests for India from 1962 to 1983 and together grabbed 853 wickets.

Prasanna was a master when it came to giving the ball a lot of air and beating batsmen in flight. He bowled well in 1969 but his greatest moment came during the Test series against Australia in 1967-68 when he picked up 25 wickets in the four matches in the series.

Former off-spinner Ashley Mallet wrote of Prasanna in his book Rowdy: As an off-spinner, he has no peer in world cricket. Prasanna, small in stature but a giant at heart, bowls with an almost captivating curl of flight... He is the only spin bowler I have seen able to reduce Ian Chappell’s footwork to mediocrity."

#2 Srinivas Venkataraghavan

Srinivas Venkataraghavan
Srinivas Venkataraghavan was one of the stars in India in the 1970s

An integral part of the spin quartet of the 1970s was the classical Tamil Nadu off-spinner S. Venkataraghavan. With his side-on action and high-arm release, the promising, lanky off-spinner was a constant thorn in the side of many quality oppositions during that time.

He played a good complimentary role, often holding up one hand to allow the likes of Bedi and Prasanna to attack the opposition. But his tally of wickets is not at all disappointing - he has 156 scalps to his credit from the 57 Tests he played in.

He rose to prominence in the back-to-back away Test series wins against the West Indies and England in '71. He also captained India in two World Cups 1975 and 1979 and doubled up as a brilliant close-in fielder. He also later went on to be a highly respected umpire on the ICC Elite Panel.

#3 Rajesh Chauhan

Rajesh Chauhan made his name in the 1990s

Cricket fans and pundits alike are quite divided in their opinion when it comes to assessing the legacy of Rajesh Chauhan. Many remember him as the part of the famous spin troika in the 90s along with Anil Kumble and Venkapathy Raju.

Truth be told, Rajesh Chauhan was a fine off-spinner who had a good ability to spin the ball. Alongside Raju and Kumble's leg-breaks, he brought variety to the attack. He picked up 47 wickets from 21 Tests and has 29 scalps from the 35 ODIs he played in.

He holds the record for playing the maximum number of Tests without being on the losing side. He is also well remembered for hitting a last-over six against Saqlain Mushtaq to win the match at the National Stadium, Karachi in 1997. That famous win ensured a place for Chauhan in Indian cricketing folklore.

#4 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh.jpg
Istrike bowlerarbhajan Singh formed a deadly duo with Anil Kumble

Before Ashwin came on to the scene putting paid to his hopes of continuing as the main off-spinner for India, Harbhajan Singh had led the Indian spin attack for a decade with aplomb. Bhajji could really turn the ball a mile when the pitch would assist him.

Together with Anil Kumble, the current head coach of India, Harbhajan forged a formidable partnership that lasted for more than a decade. The duo was the part of a stellar Indian outfit comprising the 'fab four' but it was their contributions primarily that won India many Test matches.

Who can forget Harbhajan's famous hat-trick against Australia in the second Test at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata in 2001? One of the finest off-spinners to have ever played for India, he along with Kumble made India a force to reckon within the subcontinent.

#5 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin has etched out his name amongst one of the most decorated Indian bowlers in recent times

Ever since he first burst onto the scene, Ravichandran Ashwin has been India's main strike bowler for some time now. Unlike his predecessors, Ashwin lacks a clear partner-in-crime as the likes of Ravindra Jadeja or Amit Mishra have only enjoyed moderate success at times while bowling alongside him.

This has left Ashwin more of a one man force when it comes to the spin department. But he has shouldered the responsibility remarkably, often running through oppositions single-handedly. He has been the fastest among Indians to get to 150 Test wickets and has a long, bright career ahead of him.

The best thing about Ashwin is that he has been as phenomenal in the other two formats making him the go-to bowler for the captain across all formats for India. The fact that he still manages to pick wickets even when batsmen are trying to just play him out makes him extraordinary. Much of India's success in the next decade will depend on this lanky off-spinner from Tamil Nadu.

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Edited by Staff Editor