5 legendary Indian cricketers who are yet to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame ft. Sourav Ganguly 

Arguably the greatest white-ball captain ever to grace the game of cricket, Mahendra Singh became the latest inductee from India in the prestigious ICC Hall of Fame on Monday, June 9. He became just the 11th Indian cricketer to be bestowed with the accolade.

Dhoni still holds the record for being the only captain to have won all ICC white-ball trophies — the ODI World Cup (2011), T20 World Cup (2007), and the Champions Trophy (2013). He is just the second wicketkeeper-batter after Kumar Sangakkara to have scored 10,000+ ODI runs. The 43-year-old completed his glittering career with 17,266 international runs.

“Dhoni’s numbers reflect not just excellence but extraordinary consistency, fitness and longevity,” ICC mentioned in a statement (via icc-cricket.com).

After making his debut in 2004, Dhoni, with his street-smart instincts and innovative style of batting and keeping, made himself a legendary name in the cricketing circuit. He was thrilled to bits to receive the accolade from the ICC.

"It is an honour to be named in the ICC Hall of Fame, which recognises the contributions of cricketers across generations and from all over the world. To have your name remembered alongside such all-time greats is a wonderful feeling. It is something that I will cherish forever," Dhoni said.

While Dhoni was inducted into the Hall of Fame six years after he retired from international cricket, there are quite a few Indian greats who have yet to receive the honor. One of the criteria for selection is that the player must have retired from international cricket for at least five years.

Here are five possible legendary Indian cricketers who have yet to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame:

#5. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi

Fondly known as the ‘Tiger,’ former India captain MAK Pataudi has been one of the most inspirational leaders in the history of Indian cricket. In 1961, he was involved in a horrific accident in Hove. A shard of glass from the broken windscreen permanently damaged his right eye.

Despite the atrocities, he learnt to play with one eye and led India with distinction. He was appointed captain of the Indian team at the age of 21 and remained the youngest Test captain until Tatenda Taibu broke the record in 2004.

Pataudi played 46 Tests for India from 1961 to 1975, scoring 2,793 runs at an average of 34.91, which included six centuries. He led India to their first overseas Test win in New Zealand in 1968. He was eventually dropped for his poor form in 1975.

#4. Shantha Rangaswamy

Rangaswamy was the pioneer of Indian women’s cricket and was the first cricketer to gain worldwide recognition. She was the first woman to lead an Indian cricket team and also the first captain to lead India to their first international win.

Her biggest recognition is that she is the only woman to win a lifetime achievement award from the BCCI. She was a proper all-rounder and took the new ball besides batting in the middle order.

She played 16 Tests and 19 ODIs, scoring 750 and 287 runs, respectively. She also took 21 wickets in Tests and 12 in ODIs. For her immense contribution to Indian cricket, Rangaswamy could become a future inductee in the ICC Hall of Fame.

#3. Gundappa Viswanath

Among the finest timers of the ball, Gundappa Viswanath was regarded as one of the best Test batters during the 1970s. His wristwork was an artistry, and none could match that during his heyday. He hardly had any weakness against the pacers and the spinners alike and was the perfect foil for Sunil Gavaskar in the middle order.

He rose to the occasion whenever the chips were down and produced performances to remember. Viswanath was hardly bothered by pitches that would suit the fiery fast bowlers of that generation, as he scored 14 Test centuries during his Test career.

India never lost a Test match when Viswanath scored a century. He finished his Test career with 6080 runs at an average of 41.93 in 91 matches. Given the impact he had on Indian cricket, Viswanath could be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in the future.

#2. Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh was one of the biggest match winners for India. Source: Getty

One of the finest limited-overs batters and arguably the biggest match-winner to have come out of India, Yuvraj Singh is a two-time World Cup winner and played a pivotal part in both the triumphant campaigns. He was India’s best batter during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.

During the 2011 ODI World Cup, he took it a notch further, winning the 'Player of the Series' award with a terrific all-around performance. He scored 362 runs in eight innings and picked up 15 wickets.

After making his ODI debut in 2000, Yuvraj became a regular feature in the Indian limited-overs team and played several match-winning knocks. He scored 8701 runs in 304 ODIs and 1177 runs in 58 T20Is.

#1. Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is regarded as someone who instilled the fighting spirit in the Indian team during the early 2000s and made them win Test matches abroad. He was India’s most successful Test captain with 21 wins, until Dhoni and Virat Kohli surpassed him.

One of the finest cricketing brains, Ganguly made his ODI debut in 1992 but became a permanent part of the national team in 1996 after his Test debut at Lord's. He scored a century on his debut and followed it up with one more in that series against England.

He took over the Indian captaincy at a time when the match-fixing saga broke out in world cricket. Ganguly led India to the final of the 2000 Champions Trophy, they were the joint winners of the 2002 Champions Trophy, and finished as the runners-up in the 2003 World Cup. He played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs, scoring 7,212 and 11,363 runs, respectively.