Five greatest cricketers from Haryana

Haryana, the northern state of India is a fertile ground for cricketers. Over the years, the state has produced several cricketers and some of them have left their mark at the international level.

It is interesting to note that the captain of India's first world cup win and the bowler who produced the most decisive wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq in the 2007 World cup, both belong to Haryana.

The state's rich cricket infrastructure has resulted in the grooming of young cricketers like Nitin Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal who are strong contenders of finding a spot in India's national team.

Let us talk about the five greatest cricketers produced by Haryana and chalk out the tremendous contributions of this state.

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#1. Jayant Yadav

Jayant Yadav looks unthreatening and on the surface his off-spin bowling is venomless. His action is not mysterious, his variations are predictable and he doesn't even have in his armory a magic delivery that keeps the batsman on his toes.

But even with all these limitations, the off-spinner has emerged as one of the best bowlers in Ranji cricket in the last few years and has stayed at the top for a consistent period. His ability to bowl accurately for long periods is impressive and he has the rare skill of making the ball talk on flat surfaces as well. After making his debut in 2011, he quickly rose to fame for his bowling exploits and later slammed a double-hundred to exhibit his batting talent.

Over the years his all-round performances have only improved and that resulted in his inclusion in India's Test team. Although his bowling wasn't too impactful in his debut Test series, he did make a mark by scoring a hundred against England.

In four Tests, Yadav has 11 wickets to his name and with the bat, he averages 45.60. His matured bowling and useful batting make him a handy cricketer and hence in future he may play once again for India's Test team.

#4. Ajay Jadeja

Ajay Jadeja was an effective finisher in ODIs

Physically fit, energetic and street smart Ajay Jadeja breathed freshness into India's ODI unit of the 1990's and his aggressive batting was on numerous occasions the turning point of the game.

Jadeja lacked solid technique and was always vulnerable against the moving ball but he overcame the flaw by adding innovative strokes in his armory and by staying alert while batting.

He featured in only 15 Tests and averaged 26.18 but it was in ODIs where he found his mojo. He amassed more than five thousand runs in 179 ODI innings and his average of 37.47 is highly impressive as well.

Jadeja was also an efficient fielder and could roll his arm when the captain was running out of options. The Haryana lad's greatest heist is arguably his knock of 45 against Pakistan in the quarter-finals of the 1996 world cup. He scored at a strike rate of 200 in the game and was instrumental for posting a winning total on the board.

However, during the peak of his career, the match-fixing scandal affected Jadeja and his cricket career ended abruptly.

#3. Amit Mishra

Mishra has evolved brilliantly over the years

A classical leg-spinner who thrives on flight and variation, Amit Mishra has evolved significantly in the last two decades.

Mishra progressed slowly yet steadily in domestic cricket by representing Haryana and became a force to reckon with in the early 2000's. Hence, when Anil Kumble hung his boots in 2008, Mishra was roped in as his immediate successor.

After claiming a five-wicket haul in his maiden Test innings, the leg-spinner saw a decline in his bowling career and was soon out of the national team. But he staged a terrific comeback banking on his exploits in IPL and once again is in the reckoning.

Mishra, who started as a bowler for Tests has adapted to the T-20 format extremely well and has three hat-tricks to his name in IPL along with his 211 wickets in T20s.

At 34, he may not have age on his side, but his maturity and experience make him a strong contender for the slot of the third spinner. In 22 Tests, he has claimed 76 wickets and also has 64 wickets in 36 ODIs.

#2. Chetan Sharma

Chetan Sharma is the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in ODIs

Chetan Sharma is the first Indian bowler to claim a hat-trick in ODIs and is also the only third Indian to a take a wicket in his first over in Tests. Also, he debuted at the early age of 18 and in first-class cricket at the age of 16.

His achievements in bowling are tremendous but he is best remembered for being at the receiving end when Javed Miandad slammed the famous last ball six at Sharjah.

That was the lowest point in Sharma's cricket career and he received heavy flak for conceding that six.

However, despite that unforgettable six, Sharma's bowling stats are incredible. He is the first Indian to claim a ten-wicket haul in England and has 61 wickets in 23 Tests. He also has 67 wickets in 63 ODI innings.

His batting skills were handy too and he often responded effectively when asked to bat in the top order. In 1985, he scored a fifty as a night watchman against Australia and produced a hundred while batting at number four against England in MRF World Series match in 1989.

#1. Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev receiving the 1983 Cricket World Cup

India's greatest all-rounder and the side's most successful captain till 2000, Kapil Dev is a true legend in cricket.

Hailing from a small town from India, he went on to become the leading wicket-taker in the world and while representing a country which seldom produced pace bowlers he ended up setting the benchmark for pacers across the world.

He was undoubtedly India's greatest ever pace bowler and his all-around skills put him among the best in the world but Kapil's greatest achievement is lifting the world cup trophy in 1983 in the Lord's balcony.

The right-arm pacer's batting was as effective as his bowling and he inked his name in the batting records by slamming 175 runs against Zimbabwe in a memorable counter-attacking inning in the 1983 world cup. His score of 175 was the highest individual score in ODI cricket at that time. Also, he once collared Eddie Hemmings of England for four consecutive sixes to avoid follow-on in 1990 with India nine wickets down.

Kapil was rewarded for his valuable contributions in 2002 when he was voted as the Indian cricketer of the century.