Ravichandran Ashwin was asked to navigate a bracket packed with some of the greatest names Indian cricket has produced, but one choice stood out more than most. When Virat Kohli came up against Jasprit Bumrah in the quarter-finals of his greatest-ever Indian men’s cricketer across formats exercise, Ashwin went with the fast bowler.
It was hardly an instant decision. Kohli’s case, particularly the weight of his Test career and his achievements across formats, made Ashwin hesitate before eventually backing Bumrah. “Goodness gracious me. Test cricket. Virat is an absolute legend. He’s done so well. It’s one tournament. I’ll go with Jaspreet Bumrah, man,” Ashwin said during the interaction with ESPNcricinfo. Ashwin then acknowledged there might have been an element of a bowler’s bias behind the decision. “Maybe there’s a bit of a partiality. I’ll pick Jaspreet Bumrah.”
It was one of the most striking calls in a bracket where Ashwin was repeatedly forced to compare players separated not only by roles but also by eras. Kohli has built one of India’s most complete all-format batting careers, while Bumrah’s rise has been very different — a fast bowler who has become India’s attack leader in Tests while also establishing himself among the defining white-ball bowlers of his generation. Ashwin nevertheless believed Bumrah had done enough to edge Kohli when the two were placed directly against each other.
Ashwin tempted by Jadeja, chooses Dhoni
There were other decisions that made Ashwin pause. MS Dhoni against Ravindra Jadeja proved particularly difficult, with Ashwin admitting he was seriously tempted to back his former India spin partner. “Oh, my goodness. Dhoni vs Ravindra Jadeja. Very tempting to go to Jadeja,” Ashwin said.
He ultimately leaned towards Dhoni because of the former India captain’s broader body of work. “But Captaincy, ODI, Test cricket. He’s got his credentials. Led the team to, I think, number one ranking and all. So, I’ll stick with MS. Very close for me. I was very tempted to go for Ravindra Jadeja for a wee bit of time.”
Dhoni’s run did not last much longer, however. When he came up against Virender Sehwag in the quarter-finals, Ashwin again agonised over the call before choosing Sehwag.
“My goodness. Virender Sehwag.” Sehwag had already survived another huge comparison in the opening round, where Ashwin picked him ahead of Sunil Gavaskar despite immediately admitting how uncomfortable the decision felt. “Oh gosh, across formats. Virender Sehwag. That’s unfair. That’s unfair to Sunil Gavaskar.”
Ashwin also chose Sachin Tendulkar over Vijay Hazare, Kohli over Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid over Vinoo Mankad and Bumrah over Anil Kumble in the first round. When his own name was paired against Sourav Ganguly, Ashwin took himself out of the equation and backed the former India captain. “Oh, my God. I’ll pick Sourav Ganguly. Let me be absolutely safe.”
From there, Tendulkar beat Ganguly, Kapil Dev went past Dravid, Sehwag defeated Dhoni, and Bumrah eliminated Kohli to complete the semi-final line-up. Tendulkar then proved too strong for Sehwag in Ashwin’s estimation, while Bumrah’s run ended against Kapil.
“The all-round ability is so tempting, right? 1983 World Cup win. Kapil Dev. Kapil Dev,” Ashwin said. That left perhaps the most evocative comparison of the entire exercise: Tendulkar against Kapil, two men whose careers came to represent different transformational periods in Indian cricket.
This time, Ashwin did not pretend the decision was entirely objective. “Personal bias should count at some stage. I’ll go with Sachin Tendulkar.” And with that, after working through generations of Indian greats and choosing Bumrah over Kohli, Sehwag over Gavaskar and Dhoni, and Kapil over Bumrah, Ashwin’s bracket ultimately ended at the name that has dominated so many such debates: Sachin Tendulkar.
