Sportskeeda's Top 50 Indian Test cricketers of all-time (50-41)

#46 Manoj Prabhakar

Manoj Prabhakar's all-round ability helped him lend balance to the Indian lineup

There might be a section of Indian fans who remember Manoj Prabhakar as the also-ran whose response to Sanath Jayasuriya's brutal assault was to turn himself into a spinner during that fateful day at Delhi in the 1996 World Cup. Before his career ended on an embarrassing note, Prabhakar was a reliable all-rounder who rendered commendable service to Indian cricket for the better part of a decade.

Apart from being one of the first seamers in India to comprehend reverse swing, Prabhakar could also move the new-ball both ways. During the initial phase of his journey, he set about adding useful runs from the lower-order. When the think tank offered him the chance to showcase his batting skills at the top of the order, he readily grabbed the opportunity and managed to transform himself into a steady opening batsman as well.

Career Span: 1984-1995

Statistics: 1600 runs from 39 matches at an average of 32.65 with 1 century and 9 fifties; 96 wickets at an average of 37.30 and strike-rate of 77.8 with 3 five-wicket hauls