Top 5 Test off spinners of all time

Over the years, Test Cricket has stood tall as the most demanding format of the game. An exhausting show of five days that can put the skills to the fiercest of tests, this form of the game calls for the best from the players; both physically and mentally.

Given the physical labour endured and the largely unfriendly conditions elsewhere, the format becomes all the more difficult for spin bowlers. However, thanks to some remarkable levels of grit and determination, the bygone centuries have seen innumerable spinners emerge as all-time greats in the game's longest format. These players have left indelible impressions in the minds of millions of cricket lovers across the globe. Here is a list of 5 off spinners who have made their own mark in Test Cricket.

#5 Nathan Lyon

Nathan Lyon is currently one of the mainstays in the Australian Test side. Over the years, Garry, as he's famously called, has grown as the frontline off-spinner for the Aussies.

Hailing from New South Wales, Lyon played at various clubs before working as a member of the ground staff team at the Adelaide Oval. The off-spinner soon rose up the ranks and eventually got selected into the national team for the tour of Sri Lanka in 2011. On his debut, Lyon achieved a rare feat of getting a wicket off his first ball and went on to claim a fifer on a turning track in Galle, Sri Lanka.

In June 2015, the New South Welshman surpassed Hugh Trumble to make him the most prolific wicket-taking off-break bowler for Australia.

Lyon currently has 296 Test scalps to his name and is placed 34th on the list of all-time highest wicket-takers in Test Cricket.

#4 Lance Gibbs

Lance Gibbs is considered as one of the most successful spinners of all time

Lance Gibbs of the West Indies is hailed as one of the greatest spinners by many cricketing experts. Gibbs was the first spinner in the history of the game to surpass the 300-wicket mark in Test Cricket.

The off-spinner debuted in 1958 against a touring Pakistan at Port-of-Spain and went on to pick up four wickets in the match. The 60s saw Gibbs take major strides as he consistently skittled out batsmen from different teams. In fact, his brilliant piece of bowling against India in 1961-62, is considered to be one of the greatest displays of off-break bowling at Bridgetown.

Gibbs is the most successful off-spinner from West Indies and over a Test match career that spanned for 18 years, he went to account for 309 wickets and is currently placed 30th on the list of the all-time highest wicket-takers in Test cricket.

#3 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin is considered to be one of the modern-day greats in Test Cricket

India's Ravichandran Ashwin is easily one of the most consistent and reliable spin bowlers going around in the format currently. The man from Chennai also holds the record of being the fastest Indian bowler to reach the 50-,100-,150-,200-,250-, and the 300- wicket marks.

After impressing the selectors with consistent performances in domestic tournaments, Ash, as he's popularly known among his teammates, came into the reckoning with his miserly bowling in the second and third editions of the IPL, which earned him a national call-up.

The cricketer made his Test debut against West Indies in 2011 and became only the seventh Indian to bag a five-wicket haul in a maiden appearance.

Even though the man has been criticized for not being as effective on tracks that are unfavourable for spinners, the tall off-spinner continues to march ahead with a repertoire filled with numerous tricks and ploys to outfox the batsmen.

Presently standing as the second most successful Indian off-spinner, Ashwin has 311 Test wickets to his name, making him the 27th all-time highest wicket-taker in the game's longest format.

#2 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh is India's most successful off-spinner in Test Cricket

Harbhajan Singh is, arguably, one of the most popular Indian cricketers across the world. A gritty customer who drove many batsmen to nightmares with his vicious off-breaks, the man from Punjab is India's most successful off-spinner thus far.

After creating ripples in the domestic circuits while representing Punjab, Harbhajan soon got into the national squad in 1998. However, it was in 2001 that Bhajji, as he's popularly known, announced himself on to the international stage with a roaring performance against the Aussies in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Harbhajan ended up picking 32 wickets in three matches, including the evergreen heroics in the Kolkata Test. The series also saw him become the first Indian bowler to register a hat-trick in Test Cricket.

The subsequent years saw Harbhajan endure multiple injuries and controversies as he grew into one of the greatest off-spinners of all time.

Currently, "the turbanator" is the second most successful off-spinner in Tests, only behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan, and with a tally of 417 wickets, stands 11th on the list of all-time highest wicket-takers in Test Cricket.

#1 Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan is the world's highest wicket-taker in Test Cricket

Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan is considered to be one of the greatest bowlers that the sport of cricket has ever seen. A cricketer who played a major role in taking Sri Lankan cricket to the world in the early 90s, Muralitharan, with his wily off-breaks and doosras, bewildered umpteen batsmen.

Awarding his exceptional run of form in domestic cricket, the selectors handed Murali his maiden national call-up in 1992. He made his debut against Australia at R. Premadasa Stadium in the second Test match of the series.

The following years witnessed the Lankan cricketer unfold into a tremendous force to reckon with. Possessed with a unique skill of being able to turn the ball on a surface as unresponsive as glass, Muralitharan left the batsmen clueless with his bowling. In fact, Murali held the top spot in ICC's Test bowler rankings for a record 1711 days spread over 214 Tests. Also, he is the only Sri Lankan cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2017.

With a staggering 800 wickets from 133 matches, Muttiah Muralitharan currently stands as the undisputed king of the all-time highest wicket-takers in Test matches. As a matter of fact, he is even the leading wicket-taker in ODIs with 503 wickets.