5 greatest players from Karnataka 

The state of Karnataka has produced several Test cricketers who have represented India and have achieved various laurels.

The state has given the Indian team, batsman like Rahul Dravid while Anil Kumble's contribution in the bowling department is well-known.

Currently, players like KL Rahul and Karun Nair who are from Karnataka are serving Indian cricket.

Here we look at the top five international cricketers who have emerged from Karnataka.

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#5 Javagal Srinath

Srinath led India's bowling attack for a decade

He wasn't the fittest cricketer and had a bowling average of 30.08 after playing 67 Tests. He also had limited variations in his armoury.

But even after all these flaws, Javagal Srinath emerged as one of India's finest pace bowlers. He bowled with pace and his smooth action aided his venom. The Indian pitches offered him little help but he used the seam movement and accuracy to claim wickets.

In an era when India struggled to produce genuine fast bowlers, Srinath's rise was nothing less than a miracle and the fact that he survived international cricket for more than a decade talks greatly of his abilities and skills.

His pace and incoming deliveries created havoc on the lifeless Indian pitches and hence Srinath was considered as India's lead pacer.

In his later years, he groomed the newcomers and played a vital role in the making of several Indian pace bowlers during the phase of 2000-2003.

#4. Erapalli Prasanna

He claimed 189 wickets in 49 Tests with a strike rate of 75.9

Erapalli Prasanna was an orthodox off-spinner who had no mysterious element in his bowling. But he tormented batsmen across the world with his flight and drift and also through his intelligent variations.

Prasanna's biggest strength was his control over his weapons and his sharp mind that anticipated batsmen's movements well in advance.

With all these weapons he took the world by frenzy and wrecked batting line-ups. His off-spin was too much to handle for batsmen and on Indian pitches, he was the chief destroyer of visiting teams.

He claimed 189 wickets in 49 Tests with a strike rate of 75.9 but his bowling was far more impressive than what his numbers suggest. He was part of the famous spin quartet- BS Chandrasekhar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna and S Venkataraghavan.

#3. Gundappa Viswanath

Viswanath: A master at work

Viswanath was a champion batsman who was capable of standing tall amidst all despair and more importantly was a keen follower of the 'sportsmen spirit'.

His career collided with that of Sunil Gavaskar's who was India's greatest batsmen of that era and hence Viswanath's heroics were often overshadowed by Gavaskar's achievements.

The Karnataka batsman represented India in 91 Tests and amassed more than six thousand runs but he is famously remembered for his match-winning hundred against West Indies in 1979, where he scored 124 runs while India's total was 255 runs.

#4. Anil Kumble

India vs West Indies, St. Johns. 2002.

Merv Dillon delivers a pacy ball that crashes on the batsman's face. It is a huge blow and the damage is clearly seen as the batsman spits blood. The blow has broken the batsman's jaw.

One innings later, the same player whose jaw is broken, emerges from the pavilion, his face wrapped in a white bandage and delivers 14 consecutive overs. With a broken jaw, he dismisses one of the best modern day batsman, Brian Lara.

Watching this lion-hearted bowling performance, the great Viv Richards exclaimed, "It was one of the bravest things I've seen on the field of play.".

Richards has played 121 Tests and has seen plenty of cricket. When Richards says it was a brave effort, then it was indeed a brave effort.

And the man who performed this brave act was India's best bowler in Test cricket ever. With 619 wickets in 132 Tests and 337 wickets in 271 ODI's, he is the third highest wicket-taker in international cricket.

And he is also the only second bowler in the world to claim all ten wickets in a Test innings. But nothing reflects Anil Kumble's career better than his brave bowling effort at St. Johns in 2002.

Defeating the adversity by trying hard was what he did in his career. He started as a medium pacer and settled down as a leg-spinner. However, he failed to purchase any turn from the surface which other leg-spinners are known for.

But he overcame his flaw of lack of turn by bowling accurately and by using subtle variations. Whatever the situation, Kumble was always ready for a fight. For him, the result never mattered, what he focused on was his efforts.

He was also a handy batsman in the lower order and was the captain of India's Test team during his last year. He remains as one of India's most respected and loved cricketers due to his never-die attitude and disciplined nature.

#1. Rahul Dravid

Dravid: Classy, composed and determined

With 24,177 international runs, Rahul Dravid is India's most successful batsman after Sachin Tendulkar. But more than his stats, Dravid is remembered for his impeccable discipline, selfless attitude and humble nature that made him the rarest of rare cricketers, who is not only respected by his team-mates but is also regarded highly by his opponents.

Dravid rose to prominence courtesy of his steel like defence and temperament that enabled him to amass a mountain of runs. After gaining a stronghold in Tests, to everybody's surprise, he adapted his game to the suit the demands of ODI's and became a reliable middle order batsman.

He was a prolific run-getter across the world during the first decade of the 21st century and was the chief architect of India's several famous wins. He stood tall with VVS Laxman at Kolkata in 2001 to script one the most dramatic Test wins ever and also produced a match-winning 233 at Adelaide in 2003 to script India's memorable win in Australia.

He was the captain of the Indian team which won Test series in England after 21 years and in West Indies after 35 years. Also, he contributed heavily (270 in Rawalpindi) in India’s first Test series win in Pakistan in 2004.

The right-hand batsman was a trusted slip fielder as well and is the first player to complete 200 catches in Tests.

Dravid’s legacy is seen in his staggering numbers (average of 52.31 in 164 Tests and 36 centuries) and also in his down to earth attitude. He was ICC player of the year in 2004. Hence he is held as one of the legends in cricket.