Not R Ashwin or Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh picks India's greatest match-winner with the ball

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has picked ex-captain Anil Kumble as the country's greatest match-winner of all-time with the ball. According to Harbhajan, Kumble was the biggest fighter on the field and someone all the youngsters looked up to.

Over the years, there has been plenty of debate over who has been India's biggest match-winner with the ball in hand. Most experts have gone with either Kumble, Kapil Dev or Ravichandran Ashwin.

In the latest episode of 'Kutti Stories with Ash', Harbhajan picked Kumble as India's greatest match-winner ever when it came to bowlers. During an intense discussion with Ashwin on his YouTube channel, he opined:

"I played with Anil bhai long back when we were playing in Chennai for Chemplast. He was my first captain over there. Of course, people say I picked up wickets, and so did you, or even Kapil paaji, but I think Anil Kumble is India's greatest match-winner and the biggest fighter on the field. He was someone we all used to look up to. He has got a method, 'This is how it's done, and 'I will do it' kind of attitude.

"He will not rely on others to do it. He was also a leader. He would show us the way - how it is done. Whatever little cricket I have played with him and whatever little I have achieved while we were playing together, a lot of credit should go to him for guiding me, giving me the directions to go the right away," the former India off-spinner went on to add.

A young Harbhajan led India's spin bowling attack in the 2001 Test series against Australia at home after Kumble was ruled out due to injury. He picked up 32 wickets in the iconic series (including a hat-trick), which the Sourav Ganguly-led side went on to win by a 2-1 margin.

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Anil Kumble is India's leading wicket-taker of all-time in international cricket

Kumble is India's highest wicket-taker in international cricket. The former India captain played 401 matches for the country between 1990 and 2008, claiming a total of 953 wickets at an average of 30.06, with 37 five-fers and eight 10-wicket match hauls.

Ashwin is second on the list. He played 287 matches between 2010 and 2024, claiming 765 wickets at an average of 25.80, with the aid of 37 five-fers and eight 10-wicket match hauls. Harbhajan (707), Kapil (687) and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (611) complete the top five list.