The Indian team has seen so many brilliant players represent the country and take them into newer heights. While they have had players of all types, the left-handers are the ones who have stood out for their style and absolute class.
Here’s a XI of some the best left-handed Indian cricketers who made a valuable contribution to Indian cricket.
Shikhar Dhawan:
Shikhar Dhawan has grown to become one of the best openers in the world over the past three to four years. He has the ability to hit the ball hard and can punish any opposition on a good day. Dhawan is the current opener for the Indian team and looks good on current form.
Sourav Ganguly:
Dada, as he was popularly known, Ganguly had managed to change the way India played, by making them into a fearless unit who were ready to take on any opposition in the world. As a batsman, he was a fantastic player who could hit boundaries at will.
Gautam Gambhir:
Gautam Gambhir might be struggling to find a place in the XI now, but at one point, he was one of the most dependable batsmen India had. He always rose to the occasion when required and played crucial innings in two World Cup finals.
Yuvraj Singh:
The boy from Chandigarh is easily one of the best all-rounders the Indian team have ever had. Yuvi was one of the most destructive batsmen on his day and played a crucial role in two World Cup wins. He is also a fantastic fielder and a very handy bowler.
Suresh Raina:
While Raina might be struggling to find a place back in the Indian team, he had the ability to destroy bowlers in the latter half of an innings. He was the perfect middle order batsman who could change the game in an instant.
Robin Singh:
One of the first Indian players to throw his body on the line on the field, Robin Singh was an excellent fielder and a very useful batsman. He had the ability to bat in the middle overs and accelerate while also proving useful with his medium bowling.
Parthiv Patel:
One of the most talented wicket-keeper batsmen in Indian cricket history, could never accelerate his international career. Parthiv made his international debut at a very young age but soon faded away. He has been a consistent performer at the domestic level but how could he replace MS Dhoni, specially when he was the leader of the side in all three formats of the game.
Ravindra Jadeja:
Jadeja is the quintessential modern cricketer – Fast, superb all-round ability and an arm to die for. He was ridiculed in the early half of his career but has found a way to overcome the odds to become a key performer for India off late.
Bishen Singh Bedi:
The greatest left-handed spinner to have ever played for India, Bishen Singh Bedi was a fantastic bowler who troubled batsmen all across the world. He took 266 wickets in the 67 Test matches that he played.
Ashish Nehra:
The old man of Indian cricket, Ashish Nehra is still representing the country at the highest level, albeit in T20s. He has been the Renaissance man for India and looks strong despite being close to 40 years.
Zaheer Khan:
The Mumbai bowler was a fantastic prospect when he first burst onto the scene but he has taken that potential to legendary levels. Zaheer was superb for India through his career and was the best bowler in the 2011 World Cup. He is, arguably, the best left-handed fast bowler in the history of Indian cricket.
