4. Vinoo Mankad
One of the truly great all-rounders of all time, Mankad was a key member of the national team in the late 1940s and much of the 1950s. Although he made his debut a year before independence, his finest performances came after it.
His heroics at Lord’s in 1952 which unfortunately came in a losing cause has become a part of the cricketing folklore. He had scored 72 and 184 in addition to picking up five wickets in the match which India lost by eight wickets.
Famously known for his record 413 runs partnership with Pankaj Roy for the first wicket against New Zealand in 1955, Mankad was key to India’s first-ever Test win over England at Madras in 1952. On a wicket which gave him a little assistance, he took eight for 55 and four for 53.
In Tests, he scored 2109 runs with an average of 31.47 and took 162 wickets at 32.31. He made five centuries and twice took eight wickets in an innings. His first-class record is even more impressive where he had scored 11,480 runs with an average of 34.78 and took 774 wickets at 24.60.