Kris Srikkanth

One of the more colourful characters in the yesteryear Indian side, Krishnamachari Srikkanth would go on to become one of the most popular faces in cricket thanks to his aggressive and flamboyant batting skills. Making his international debut in a one-day international against England in 1981, Srikkanth became quite the entertainer and crowd favourite. He came as an ideal opening partner to Gavaskar, who was more a technically correct and occupy the crease kind of a player.

His quick reflexes, good hand eye coordination and fearless approach helped him to take on some of the most dreaded bowling attacks in the world. He loved to take on the quickies and enjoyed taking on the short pitch stuff. With a stable and dependable middle order, he had the license to go out and play his natural game. If averages were to go by, consistency was certainly not his thing but then a quick fire start helped the teams cause in a big way.

Popularly known as "Cheeka" amongst his mates, he was given the responsibility of captaincy in 1989 in an away series against Pakistan. India managed to draw all the Tests but his batting failures came under the scanner and he was dropped from the side. He made a not so successful comeback a couple of years later and finally announced his retirement in 1993.

Post retirement, he enjoyed a good stint as the coach of India 'A' side for a brief period and currently heads the national selection committee. Both his sons took to the game and of the two; Aniruddha Srikkanth has enjoyed a good stint with the Tamil Nadu state.