Top 5 Indian leg-spinners of all time

#4 Laxman Sivaramakrishnan

The "Boy Wizard" who lost his way

Thin and wiry, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan seemed destined for greatness when he took 12 for 181 at Bombay in the 1984-85 series against England. He was awarded the Man of the Series for scalping 23 wickets in that series. The "Boy Wizard" turned the ball appreciably and had a classical leg spin action.

The 1980s was a decade of young talents going astray in Indian cricket. Siva was also a prime example of that. He followed up the England series by bowling beautifully in the World Championship of Cricket held in Australia. His meteoric rise was unprecedented for an Indian spinner.

What followed was a sharp decline in Siva's performances. He barely did anything of note since then. He was also confined to plying his trade in the domestic arena. He took 154 wickets in 76 first-class matches at an average of 38.49. In the cauldron of domestic cricket, the "Boy Wizard" was somehow lost.