Who is India's greatest spinner of all time?

Among this list of arguably some of the world’s best spinners, the greatest would be the one who has led India to many victories and along with the modern day greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, marked the golden era in Indian history.

Anil Kumble – the greatest of them all

For someone who was not lucky enough to see the famed Indian quartet or the likes of Vinoo Mankad, Subhash Gupte or Dilip Doshi in their prime, Anil bhai remains the biggest inspiration with his fighting qualities and a never-say die attitude.

Who could ever forget him bowling with a broken jaw in a Test match in the West Indies and taking the wicket of Brian Lara?

He has single-handedly led India to some famous triumphs. Though he could never turn the ball a great deal or flight it, he held his own in an era which saw two other world-beaters in Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. He played at a time when the bats became longer and the pitches became placid.

619 Test wickets – 3rd highest wicket-taker in the world

He even proved that he was a strong leader during the infamous monkey-gate scandal and led India to a path-breaking win at Perth in the next Test match.

For his fighting qualities, match-winning and leadership abilities, longevity, all-round efforts in both Tests and ODIs, and also for the ‘small’ matter of taking 619 Test wickets, Anil Kumble remains India’s greatest spin bowler ever.