Ravi Shastri Snubs Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid from Top 5 Indian Cricketers List

Ravi Shastri's top-five list also excluded few of his World Cup-winning teammates, such as Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar, and K. Srikkanth.

Ravi Shastri Snubs Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid from Top 5 Indian Cricketers List

Ravi Shastri named his top 5 Indian cricketers of all time, notably omitting Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma. (via Hindustan Times)

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Former Indian all-rounder Ravi Shastri named his top five greatest Indian cricketers of all time, ignoring several big names. Surprisingly, Shastri did not include former Indian captains Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, or current ODI skipper Rohit Sharma in his top five.

In a recent interaction with Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan, David Lloyd and Phil Tufnell, on The Overlap Cricket Podcast, Shastri was tasked with picking his five choices, who would make up the list of the greatest Indian cricketers of all time. The 63-year-old selected 2011 World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni, then picking his ‘untold favorite’, Virat Kohli, a player with whom he led the Indian Test team to unprecedented heights.

Together, Kohli as captain and Shastri as head coach guided India through a period of dominance, when they enjoyed a 56.41% win-rate in Tests, 67.42% in ODIs, and 66.67% in T20Is. Shastri’s list also included his former teammates, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. Gavaskar’s inclusion is well-justified, as the legendary opener was the first batter globally to score 10,000 Test runs, while Kapil Dev’s legacy is defined by leading India to its first-ever World Cup triumph in 1983.

Ravi Shastri didn’t forget to mention Sachin Tendulkar, asserting that the 52-year-old would be the number one player to have ever played for Team India. He reasoned his top choice by highlighting Tendulkar’s exceptional longevity, playing for nearly 24 years, and his remarkable record of becoming the first player to score 100 centuries in international cricket, couple with his batting technique.

Definitely [Sunil] Gavaskar, Kapil [Dev], Sachin [Tendulkar], and Virat [Kohli]… I am looking at the most influential players of that era. Bishan [Singh Bedi] would have been there but MS [Dhoni] again.

What was surprising is the players Ravi Shastri left out, while picking his top five greatest Indian cricketers. He notably left out current Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma first, widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batters of all time, who recently led India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Sharma’s inclusion seemed almost inevitable given his numerous individual records, besides being the only captain to lead a team to all ICC finals.

Another player ignored by Ravi Shastri was batting legend Rahul Dravid, also known as ‘Mr. Dependable’ for the Indian cricket team. Dravid amassed over 24,000 runs in international cricket and is recognized as one of the greatest batters of all time. Shastri also left out one of the India’s most successful captains, Sourav Ganguly, who also boasts staggering records of over 18,000 runs in international cricket.

Beyond these omissions, Shastri’s list also overlooked several other contenders, including Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, Yuvraj Singh, and Vinoo Mankad. The 63-year-old did give a shout-out to ace Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah and former Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi, while naming his top five.

Ravi Shastri Backs Washington Sundar to Take Ravindra Jadeja’s Place in the Future

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri picked Washington Sundar to become the team’s next genuine all-rounder in Test cricket for years to come. Shastri specifically poised the 25-year-old to potentially take Ravindra Jadeja‘s place in the side in the future.

Ravi Shastri on Washington Sundar
Ravi Shastri poised Washington Sundar to become India’s no. 1 Test all-rounder in the future. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

With Ravindra Jadeja having turned 36 and likely to retire within the next two to three years, Ravi Shastri touted Sundar as India’s next number one all-rounder, highlighting the challenge he poses to batters on turning tracks in India. Shastri also expressed hope for Sundar to bat higher up the order and emphasized his ability to bowl long spells and provide control with the bat when required.

Washington Sundar has impressed in his two appearances against England, picking up a four-wicket haul in the second innings at Lord’s. In the 11 Test matches that he has played so far, Sundar has scored 545 runs at an average of 38.93, while also picking up 30 wickets in addition.