5 Indian spinners who could have become Test legends if they had played for other countries

#1 Vaman Viswanath Kumar

Vaman Viswanath Kumar was an unplayable spinner at the peak of his powers

Making his first-class debut before the likes of Shivalkar and Goel, Vaman Viswanath Kumar was yet another victim of India's inconsistent selection policies during the 1960s. The stalwart from Tamil Nadu (Madras) amassed almost 600 wickets at a remarkable average of under 20 in a tremendous first-class career.

In spite of his exploits at the domestic level, the leg-spinner received just a couple of opportunities to play Test cricket for his country.

During 1961, VV Kumar impressed on debut against a settled Pakistani batting lineup who were quite adept against the turning ball. Later that year, he played in the Mumbai Test against England despite carrying a hampering injury. A wicket-less game consigned him permanently into the wilderness.

Once hailed as Subash Gupte's successor, the experienced spinner's international career came to an end following the arrival of the inimitable Bhagwath Chandrasekhar. In a parallel world, Kumar might have been a huge hit in the global arena if he had plied his trade for Australia in the post-Richie Benuad era.

Test career (1961)

7 wickets from 2 matches at an average of 28.85 and strike-rate of 86.4 with 1 five-wicket haul

First-class career (1955/56 - 1976/77)

599 wickets from 129 matches at an average of 19.98 and strike-rate of 50.2 with 36 five-wicket hauls and 8 ten-wicket hauls