Sachin Tendulkar became the sixth Indian to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Tendulkar who retired in November 2013 was bestowed the prestigious cap on July 18, 2019. India cricket has witnessed a bunch of legends serving the nation on the 22 yards with Sachin being the most iconic one. Before Tendulkar the five Indians who received the award are Sunil Gavaskar, Bishen Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, and Rahul Dravid.
Sunil Gavaskar
The little master Sunil Gavaskar became the first Indian player who was inducted into ICC Hall of Fame. He received his cap from his ex colleague Kapil Dev in 2009. One of the greatest cricketers of all time, Gavaskar was the first player to score 10000 Test runs. Gavaskar was the first player to put India in global map much before Sachin Tendulkar. His 34 Test hundred were a record at that time. Gavaskar also became the first player to score a ton in both innings of a Test match thrice. He remains the only cricketer to record 58 century partnerships with 18 different players.
Bishan Singh Bedi
The former slow left-arm orthodox bowler was another name from Indian cricket to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. Bishan Singh Bedi played from 1966 to 1979 and scalped 266 wickets in 67 Test matches. Bedi was part of the famous Indian spin quartet and holds the world record for the most economical bowling figures in a 60-over ODI match amongst the bowlers who had completed their quota of 12 overs. Bedi is second best to the West Indian, Lance Gibbs, in terms of bowling maiden overs per Test match. He received the cap of honor from another West Indian great Courtney Walsh.
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev was undoubtedly the leading factor of India’s first World Cup triumph in 1983 that changed the Indian cricket forever. He influenced an entire generation by winning matches singlehandedly as player, leading from the front as a true captain, and overall with his fighting spirit. His 175 against Zimbabwe in 1983 Prudential Cup is a part of Indian cricketing folklore. One of best all-rounders of the game has astounding records of 5248 runs in 131 Test matches at an average of 31.05 and 434 wickets, including 23 5-wicket hauls at an average of 29.64 . He was the third Indian to receive the honor in the same year with Gavaskar and Bedi in 2009.
Anil Kumble
The image of Anil Kumble bowling with bandaged broken Jaw in Antigua is one of the most powerful frames of Indian cricket ever. The leg spinner was famous for his indomitable spirit. His 10 wickets in single Test innings at Feroz Shah Kotla made him only the second bowler after Jim Laker to achieve this feat in world cricket. Not a big turner of ball but undoubtedly one of best left-spinners of the game ended with 619 Test wickets always enjoyed competition with Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan and delivered the best. Kumble was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame as the fourth Indian cricketer in 2015.
Rahul Dravid
‘The Wall’ or ‘Mr. Dependable’ of Indian was famous for his ability to play long innings and bring stability. India’s legendary Number 3 batter at Test is arguably one of the best to bat at that position in world cricket. In 164 Test matches Dravid scored 13288 runs with 36 hundreds and in 344 ODIs he added 10889 runs with 12 hundreds. In 2004 He was the first recipient of the ICC player of year and ICC Test player of the year awards. A trustworthy fielder at slip pouched 210 catches in Test matches which is still a record. Dravid was handed over the framed cap by Gavaskar in 2018 during the fifth and final ODI between India and West Indies at Thiruvananthapuram.