Pujara picks India’s five best Test pacers of all time; several prominent names left out

NEW DELHI: Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has named his five greatest Indian Test pacers, with Mohammed Siraj missing out despite earning a place in his top 10.

Pujara, who represented India in Tests from 2010 to 2023, was part of a period when the country’s pace attack emerged as one of the strongest in world cricket. Speaking about Siraj in a video posted by ESPNcricinfo, Pujara rated the fast bowler among India’s top 10 Test pacers of all time.

“Siraj will definitely be among India’s top 20 Test pacers. If you ask me whether he is in the top 10, I would say yes. Considering his performances in India and overseas, as well as the hard work he puts in for the team, Siraj is among the top 10,” Pujara said.

When asked to pick his top five, Pujara chose Kapil Dev, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma.

The omission of several established names from the list is likely to spark debate among fans. Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav were among the notable players who did not feature in Pujara’s top 10.