Ravichandran Ashwin recently found himself facing a difficult challenge: selecting the greatest-ever Indian men’s cricketer across formats from a bracket packed with legendary names. The former India spinner had to make several tough choices, but his decision to pick Jasprit Bumrah over Virat Kohli became one of the biggest talking points. Ashwin was asked to choose between Kohli and Bumrah in one of the quarter-final match-ups. While he acknowledged Kohli’s extraordinary record, particularly in Test cricket, Ashwin ultimately decided that Bumrah deserved to progress.

“Goodness gracious me. Test cricket. Virat is an absolute legend. He’s done so well. It’s one tournament. I’ll go with Jasprit Bumrah, man,” Ravichandran Ashwin said during an interaction with ESPNcricinfo. The former off-spinner also admitted that his own experience as a bowler may have influenced the decision. “Maybe there’s a bit of partiality. I’ll pick Jasprit Bumrah.”

Kohli has established himself as one of India’s finest all-format batters, while Bumrah has transformed into the leader of the national team’s bowling attack. His ability to produce match-winning spells in Test cricket, along with his consistency in white-ball formats, has made him one of the most respected fast bowlers of his generation.

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Another intriguing contest saw former India captain MS Dhoni go up against Ravindra Jadeja. Ravichandran Ashwin admitted that he was tempted to choose his former spin-bowling partner before ultimately siding with Dhoni. “Oh, my goodness. Dhoni vs Ravindra Jadeja. Very tempting to go to Jadeja,” Ashwin said. However, Dhoni’s leadership achievements and record across formats proved decisive. “But captaincy, ODI, Test cricket. He’s got his credentials. Led the team to, I think, number one ranking and all. So, I’ll stick with MS.”

Ashwin conceded that the contest was extremely close and admitted he considered Jadeja for some time before making his final decision. Dhoni’s run in the bracket ended in the following round, when Ashwin chose Virender Sehwag over the former India captain.

“My goodness. Virender Sehwag.” Virender Sehwag had already advanced after Ravichandran Ashwin selected him over another Indian great, Sunil Gavaskar. The former spinner described that choice as particularly difficult. “Oh gosh, across formats. Virender Sehwag. That’s unfair. That’s unfair to Sunil Gavaskar.”

In the opening round, Ashwin selected Sachin Tendulkar over Vijay Hazare, Kohli over Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid over Vinoo Mankad and Bumrah over Anil Kumble. When Ashwin himself appeared in the bracket against Sourav Ganguly, he chose the former India captain.

“Oh, my God. I’ll pick Sourav Ganguly. Let me be absolutely safe.” As the bracket progressed, Tendulkar defeated Ganguly, Kapil Dev overcame Dravid, Sehwag edged Dhoni and Bumrah defeated Kohli to reach the semi-finals. Tendulkar then progressed past Sehwag, while Kapil Dev ended Bumrah’s impressive run. Ashwin was particularly impressed by Kapil’s all-round ability and his contribution to India’s historic 1983 World Cup triumph. “The all-round ability is so tempting, right? 1983 World Cup win. Kapil Dev. Kapil Dev.”

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That set up a final between Tendulkar and Kapil. After weighing the achievements of both legends, Ashwin ultimately allowed personal preference to influence his final decision. “Personal bias should count at some stage. I’ll go with Sachin Tendulkar.” Tendulkar was therefore crowned Ashwin’s greatest-ever Indian men’s cricketer across formats, completing a bracket that featured some of the biggest names in Indian cricket history.