Who were the most elegant, stylish or graceful batsmen from the sub-continent?

[Harsh Thakor]

Great batsmen on the sub-continent are known to posess a sublime art of their own-an oriental magic of it's own.They use their willows with a touch which is truly unique like that of a violinist or pianist.They also posess the creativity of painters or poets.In this list below I am listing in order of merit the supreme stylists and most elegant batsmen from the sub-continent.This is not an assesment of the overall merit of batsmen or their technical skill.It merely asseses them on the criteria of their style or elegance.So don't be surprised at Tendulkar being placed so low down or Miandad ,Gavaskar,Hanif Mohammad or Sehwag not included.I feel Zaheer and Azhar were unsurpassed with Vishy just a touch below.Sachin did not equal Azhar's artistry nor did Miandad have so much grace to his batting.Gavaskar and Hanif were technical masters but not artists like Zaheer or Vishy.Sehwag was a genius was much more about power and eye-coordination than grace or artistry.

1.Zaheer Abbas
His simple touch would caress the best of deliveries to the fence.A master of the drive through extra cover who held bat like a painter's brush.Sadly not at his best against the short or bouncing ball ,but a master on a slow track.Equivalent of painter Rembrandt to the art of batting.



2.Mohammad Azharrudin

Surpassed any great batsmen in his leg-side play resembling a pianist tapping notes.Poessed wristwork of magical proportions and could leg-glance the best of deliveries penetrating the most impregnable of fields.Equivalent of a modern day Ranjit Singhji.Like Zaheer Abas a master against spin but uneasy against genuine pace or the short ball.



3.Gundappa Vishwanath
Executed the square and late cut better than any batsmen in the history of the game and posessed a combination of a pull,hook and flick shot like no other batsmen.His play reminded you of a lotus blooming or a magician performing.A master against the bouncing ball and genuine pace.



4.Mushtaq Ali
A contrast to partner Vijay Merchant who was a technical perfectionist.Mushtaq Ali held the willow with the touch of a magicians.Few batsmen were as inventive as Mushtaq in his era who had great depths of imagination.A much more elegant version of the modern day Virendra Sehwag.



5.Majid Khan
Very close to Zaheer Abbas but also posessed cross-bat strokes.A batting genius on his day who played bad wickets as well as Viv Richards or Greg Chappell.An oriental equivalent of Viv Richards.



6.V.V.S.Laxaman
Arguably the best player of genuine pace bowlin of his time who just dropped down his writs to send the ball scurrying to the fence.No batsmen of his time posessed such a magical touch.At his best on boucy tracks where his wristwork came in handy.



7.Roy Dias
His strokes were a medley of those of Viv Richards and Greg Chappell.He would attack bowling with the might of an executioner but still posess the touch of a painter.Posessed the grace of a bird flying.




8.Sachin Tendulkar
Although technically supreme still had an artistic dimension to his strokes.



9.Vijay Manjrekar
In pure style surpassed Vijay Merchant or Hazare with imperious elegance




10.Mohsin Kan

Although he had a curtailed career he posessed style that few batsmen posessed in his generation.He could master bad wickets and flourished against great pace.Similar to Majid .




11.Mahela Jayewardene
In full flow a majestic sight to watch executing the most delicate flicks and cut strokes like baker slicing a cake.



12.Asif Iqbal
Marvellos footwork and wristwork posessing the charasterictic oriental touch.



13.Dilip Vengsarkar
A treat to watch on the leg-sde reminiscent of Greg Chappel.Played pace with flourish.



14.Aravinda De'Silva
Marvellos timing and wristwork .Brilliantly blended agression with touch art.



15.Sead Anwar
One of the most elegant left-handed batsmen of all whose strokes reminded you of a flower blooming.



16.Sannath Jayasuriya
Although posessing the agression of atiger alos posessed touch and grace.



17.Rahul Dravid

Even the wall had an element of artistic touch if we observe his wristwork.He blended Gavaskar's technique with Vishwanath's touch.




18.Salim Malik
A cruder version of Zaheer Abbas but still lovely to watch.




19.Inzamam Ul Haq
The modern day Asian equivalent of Viv Richards.Inspite of being an explosive hitter still posessed characteristic elegance.




20.Saurav Ganguly
Reminded you of David Gower at his best.A batting king on the off-side.

[Abdullah]

Kumar Sangakarra- just for that Cover Drive

[Convict]

No Colin Cowdrey?

[Harsh Thakor]

No Colin Cowdrey?

Only discussing Asian stylists.

[cricwiz]

Very very surprising that Mohammad Yousuf couldn't make it even in the top 20 ???

[cricwiz]

An example of 1 innings from Yousuf..

[Harsh Thakor]

An example of 1 innings from Yousuf..

Maybe I should have added Him.Good suggestion No doubt a very valid consideration .thanks .

[sensible-indian-fan]

Sanga should be there.

Sanath should not be.

[anuk]

sachin was very mechanical. and downright ugly in his fast few years.

[Romali_rotti]

I agree Sangakarra should get a mention he was very easy on the eye, SRT at his peak wouldve been the most elegant and sty;ish bat of all time.

[desi_launda]

Jayasuria and stylish?

Azhar and VVS win it for me,especially VVS

[Zaz]

yousuf should be in there tbh

[Anchorman]

Anwar was the most elegant batsman I have ever watched.

[Robert]

No Colin Cowdrey?

Clever :-)


Anyway, Azhar gets my vote.

[Big Mac]

No Colin Cowdrey?

[McGarrett]

Mahela all the way !!!

Picasso

[JaDed]

Even though i don't link Sanga he deserves to be there in this list for sure and not Sanath.
You should also try to make a list of least elegant batsmen of Asia who were amazingly successful and i would rate Sanath first in that not elegant but a great player nevertheless.Overall i would give it to Hayden.

[Zeshan547]

Wth, for me MoYo has to be up there in top 5 atleast. When style is the sole criteria, dare i say he is better than even tendu. The most stylish batsman for pak in last decade after Anwar, In current lot, Harris will be up there and he is a complete package potentially, and Mamoon's blind love Umar Amin is most stylish batsman in pak currently but problem is he just has style nothing else.

[AZ]

VVS Laxman, Saeed Anwar & Mohd Yousuf were just too good to watch, pure poetry.

[proud_pakistani]

I don't think Mohsin Khan and Sanath Jayasuriya shouldn't be there. Yousuf and Sanga def should be.

[proud_pakistani]

And yea Rahul Draivd was a very good batsman but I would rate many players above him in style.

[dravid the wall]

also no virendar shehwag.....he is pleasant to watch ....

[FreeBird]

Great batsmen on the sub-continent are known to posess a sublime art of their own-an oriental magic of it's own.They use their willows with a touch which is truly unique like that of a violinist or pianist.They also posess the creativity of painters or poets.In this list below I am listing in order of merit the supreme stylists and most elegant batsmen from the sub-continent.This is not an assesment of the overall merit of batsmen or their technical skill.It merely asseses them on the criteria of their style or elegance.So don't be surprised at Tendulkar being placed so low down or Miandad ,Gavaskar,Hanif Mohammad or Sehwag not included.I feel Zaheer and Azhar were unsurpassed with Vishy just a touch below.Sachin did not equal Azhar's artistry nor did Miandad have so much grace to his batting.Gavaskar and Hanif were technical masters but not artists like Zaheer or Vishy.Sehwag was a genius was much more about power and eye-coordination than grace or artistry.

1.Zaheer Abbas
His simple touch would caress the best of deliveries to the fence.A master of the drive through extra cover who held bat like a painter's brush.Sadly not at his best against the short or bouncing ball ,but a master on a slow track.Equivalent of painter Rembrandt to the art of batting.



2.Mohammad Azharrudin

Surpassed any great batsmen in his leg-side play resembling a pianist tapping notes.Poessed wristwork of magical proportions and could leg-glance the best of deliveries penetrating the most impregnable of fields.Equivalent of a modern day Ranjit Singhji.Like Zaheer Abas a master against spin but uneasy against genuine pace or the short ball.



3.Gundappa Vishwanath
Executed the square and late cut better than any batsmen in the history of the game and posessed a combination of a pull,hook and flick shot like no other batsmen.His play reminded you of a lotus blooming or a magician performing.A master against the bouncing ball and genuine pace.



4.Mushtaq Ali
A contrast to partner Vijay Merchant who was a technical perfectionist.Mushtaq Ali held the willow with the touch of a magicians.Few batsmen were as inventive as Mushtaq in his era who had great depths of imagination.A much more elegant version of the modern day Virendra Sehwag.



5.Majid Khan
Very close to Zaheer Abbas but also posessed cross-bat strokes.A batting genius on his day who played bad wickets as well as Viv Richards or Greg Chappell.An oriental equivalent of Viv Richards.



6.V.V.S.Laxaman
Arguably the best player of genuine pace bowlin of his time who just dropped down his writs to send the ball scurrying to the fence.No batsmen of his time posessed such a magical touch.At his best on boucy tracks where his wristwork came in handy.



7.Roy Dias
His strokes were a medley of those of Viv Richards and Greg Chappell.He would attack bowling with the might of an executioner but still posess the touch of a painter.Posessed the grace of a bird flying.




8.Sachin Tendulkar
Although technically supreme still had an artistic dimension to his strokes.



9.Vijay Manjrekar
In pure style surpassed Vijay Merchant or Hazare with imperious elegance




10.Mohsin Kan

Although he had a curtailed career he posessed style that few batsmen posessed in his generation.He could master bad wickets and flourished against great pace.Similar to Majid .




11.Mahela Jayewardene
In full flow a majestic sight to watch executing the most delicate flicks and cut strokes like baker slicing a cake.



12.Asif Iqbal
Marvellos footwork and wristwork posessing the charasterictic oriental touch.



13.Dilip Vengsarkar
A treat to watch on the leg-sde reminiscent of Greg Chappel.Played pace with flourish.



14.Aravinda De'Silva
Marvellos timing and wristwork .Brilliantly blended agression with touch art.



15.Sead Anwar
One of the most elegant left-handed batsmen of all whose strokes reminded you of a flower blooming.



16.Sannath Jayasuriya
Although posessing the agression of atiger alos posessed touch and grace.



17.Rahul Dravid

Even the wall had an element of artistic touch if we observe his wristwork.He blended Gavaskar's technique with Vishwanath's touch.




18.Salim Malik
A cruder version of Zaheer Abbas but still lovely to watch.




19.Inzamam Ul Haq
The modern day Asian equivalent of Viv Richards.Inspite of being an explosive hitter still posessed characteristic elegance.




20.Saurav Ganguly
Reminded you of David Gower at his best.A batting king on the off-side.

That's your opinion and I don't agree with it one tiny bit.

When you talk about style and elegance in Sub Continent, then the two top names are Muhammad Yousuf and Majid Khan.

[jusarrived]

sachin was very mechanical. and downright ugly in his fast few years.

ugly is really pushing it .
Tendulkars straight drive and covre drive on the rise is unmatched .

[jusarrived]

And yea Rahul Draivd was a very good batsman but I would rate many players above him in style.

Dravds shots where beautiful . especailly his coverdrive

[Haz95]

lol what is Saeed Anwar doing at 15?

[octavian]

Atrocious list to be honest. Saeed Anwar at 15 and Yousuf missing altogether. Tendulkar stylish?

[biggestdravidfan]

For those who are surprised to see Sachin .Have you seen Sachin of 1990s bat ?

[octavian]

Ganguly was another ugly one. Sangakkara missing from the list.

[biggestdravidfan]

sachin was very mechanical. and downright ugly in his fast few years.

Too bad his career didn't only consist of his last few years.

[biggestdravidfan]

@Harsh Thakor Please stop insulting Sir Viv.

[Saurav]

Rohit Sharma.Tailunt and style is only thing he has

[Mainul]

Very very surprising that Mohammad Yousuf couldn't make it even in the top 20 ???

Ya. I am also surprised. He should have there at top 10

[silent ischemia]

Asif iqbal and saeed anwar should have been in top 8.

[sensible-indian-fan]

Sachin can hardly be called stylish.

Technically perfect. Compact. Perfect balance.

All these yes.

But stylish?

No.

[Kakar]

Even though i don't link Sanga he deserves to be there in this list for sure and not Sanath.
You should also try to make a list of least elegant batsmen of Asia who were amazingly successful and i would rate Sanath first in that not elegant but a great player nevertheless.Overall i would give it to Hayden.

You are missing one person who managed to be highly successful in one format despite not being elegant at all.

[silent ischemia]

Sachin was stylish but not as stylish as anwar, zaheer, vvs, azhar etc

[zabalestmsm]

Saeed Anwar for me easily!

[freelance_cricketer]

Frankly speaking, I have never understood why VVS and Yousuf are so hyped and Ganguly is not as far as elegance is concerned.

[Asif khan]

Saeed Anwar - everything was so effortless!

[Harsh Thakor]

@Harsh Thakor Please stop insulting Sir Viv.

Please explain how I insulted Sir Viv Richards.I am his ardent admirer and stated that at his best Majid played like him an even Inzamam.

[Harsh Thakor]

Sachin can hardly be called stylish.

Technically perfect. Compact. Perfect balance.

All these yes.

But stylish?

No.

I agree,but he had his element of artistry when executing the straight drive or strokes in the 'V.'Not as delicate or wristy as Vishy or Azhar but at times pleasing to the eye just like Sunny Gavaskar who on occasions was lovely to watch.Rember Sunny's knock in 1983 at Ahmedbad v West Indies.

[Harsh Thakor]

Sanga should be there.

Sanath should not be.

Good point,you may be right.However never forget the art in Sanath batting even in his lofted strokes.His wrists just guided the ball over the ropes-even for sixes.Reminded you of Gary Sobers.Mya be I erred in leaving out Sanath and Mohd Yousuf.

[Harsh Thakor]

I don't think Mohsin Khan and Sanath Jayasuriya shouldn't be there. Yousuf and Sanga def should be.

Look back to Mohsin's best knocks in England and Australia in 1982 an 1983-84 and his batting in 1982 in Pakistan Mohsin displayed immense style against strong bowling attacks.Just watch his 200 at Lords and 152 at Melbourne or even his 70 in the 1983 world cup semi-final on fast pitch against West Indies.

Never forget the art in Sanath batting even in his lofted strokes.His wrists just guided the ball over the ropes-even for sixes.Reminded you of Gary Sobers.May be I erred in leaving out Sanath and Mohd Yousuf. Respect your point but still uphold Mohsin and Sanath.

[Laparwah]

Hanif Muhammad and Zaheer Abbas. Azhar as well.

[sensible-indian-fan]

I agree,but he had his element of artistry when executing the straight drive or strokes in the 'V.'Not as delicate or wristy as Vishy or Azhar but at times pleasing to the eye just like Sunny Gavaskar who on occasions was lovely to watch.Rember Sunny's knock in 1983 at Ahmedbad v West Indies.

Started watching cricket from mid 90s only.

Love your knowledge of the game bro.

[Thivagar]

Mahela Jayawardene

Sangakkara use to bat ugly till about 2006. In early years, he would either bat every series with a difference stance, different grip or both.

[FreeBird]

The irony is, it's a "revised list".

[as-95]

Can't believe Mohammad Yousuf is missing here!

[RickyG]

I don't rate Mohammad Yousuf very highly as a batsman or as a person but the man was as stylish as they come. Beautiful to watch.

Aravinda de Silva is rated a little too low.

Sachin was the most dominating batsman in the 90s and far ahead of his contemporaries (Lara apart) but never the most stylish.

[Buffet]

Sachin can hardly be called stylish.

Technically perfect. Compact. Perfect balance.

All these yes.

But stylish?

No.

He was surely stylish in 90s. His straight shots in V were great to watch. Then driving on up was so good to see.

[Buffet]

He was playing some of his trademark shots in his last inning. It reminded me of his style in 90s.

[menace2society]

Saeed Anwar tops this list surely. In full flow I have not seen such an elegant batsman.

[Gunner85]

Murali Vijay is a treat to watch when in flow.

[FreeBird]

I think Ranatunga was more stylish than any left handed batsman named in this "revised list".

[freelance_cricketer]

Yup, Murali Vijay right up there among modern day batsmen. Touch of pure class

[jusarrived]

Ganguly should not be there , infact he was an eyesore .

DeSilva was one of the best to watch .

[jusarrived]

I think Ranatunga was more stylish than any left handed batsman named in this "revised list".

Ranatunga ?

[samplepiece]

I have heard that VVS modeled his batting on Azhar and Azhar modeled his on some Jaisimha guy. Was Jaisimha too an elegant batsman?

[iafzal]

How can you leave out Wasim Raja?

[junaid.ahmed]

Saeed Anwar
Mohammad Yousuf
Rahul Dravid

[Electron]

Murali Vijay, with the new found consistency, he deserves a mention. Treat to watch, beautiful batsman.

[IndianWillow]

No mention of Gavaskar? Gavaskar was very stylish on the offside, particularly the late cut down to the third man boundary. His straight drive and the whip on the onside were stylish as well. His dead bat was also very stylish and so were his leaves - he was a batsman who looked stylish in both attack and defense!

[Harsh Thakor]

No mention of Gavaskar? Gavaskar was very stylish on the offside, particularly the late cut down to the third man boundary. His straight drive and the whip on the onside were stylish as well. His dead bat was also very stylish and so were his leaves - he was a batsman who looked stylish in both attack and defense!

He almost made it but I just preferred Ganguly by a whisker or Inzamam.Gavaskar was much more defensive while being a left-hander added to dada's elegance.On his day Sunny was an epitome of grace-when he set out to attack.Yet mot the same calibre of artistry of Azhar,Vishy,Gower,Mark Waugh etc.

[Harsh Thakor]

I have heard that VVS modeled his batting on Azhar and Azhar modeled his on some Jaisimha guy. Was Jaisimha too an elegant batsman?

Did not see him but heard of his prowess.May well have been elegant.

[Harsh Thakor]

How can you leave out Wasim Raja?

Just missed out No doubt,stylish .Sorry if I erred.Good point.

[Saurav]

Sachin can hardly be called stylish.

Technically perfect. Compact. Perfect balance.

All these yes.

But stylish?

No.

What you said applies more to guys like Kallis and Dravid.

Sachin always had that 'wow' factor in his shots like straight punch,backfoot punch,hook shot etc

Atleast for me

[sensible-indian-fan]

What you said applies more to guys like Kallis and Dravid.

Sachin always had that 'wow' factor in his shots like straight punch,backfoot punch,hook shot etc

Atleast for me

Elegance yes but stylish...maybe some shots but not everything.

But the word style is used in the conventional sense.

Sachin was pretty to watch.

[sensible-indian-fan]

Stylish batsmen from the current Indian team

Murali Vijay, Rohit and Ashwin.

[Harsh Thakor]

This is my selection in order of merit of the most stylish batsmen ever to have played from the Asian sub-continent.


1.Zaheer Abbas/Mohammad Azharuddin


3.Majid Khan


4.Gundapa Vishwanath


5.Mushtaq Ali


6.V.V.S.Laxman


7.Roy Dias


8.Vijay Manjrekar



9.Mahela Jayawardene



10.Yuvraj Singh



11.Saeed Anwar/Mohsin Khan




I just cannot seperate Zaheer and Azhar.Both represented the ultimate epitome of cricketing poetry whose strokes posessed the grace of the divine.An Azharuddin leg-glance or a Zaheer Abbas drive through extra cover displayed the beauty of batting at it's highest zenith.Although more savage Majid Khan's strokes to had elegance of the sublime while Vishwanath's best strokes resemembled a lotus blossominng.Majid and Vishy could execute strokes that were surreal.Muhtaq Ali at his best resembled a magician .V.V.S.Laxman took batting artistry to regions even Tendulkar did not reach.Roy Dias's strokes had the touches of a pianist at his best .Vijay Manjrekar was a supreme stylist.Mahela strokes were often reminiscent of the sound of a flute.Yuvraj would send the ball over the ropes with the deftest of touches.Even when pulverizing opposition both Mohsin Khan and Saed Anwar 's shots displayed feline grace.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Kumar Sangakara
VVS Laxman
Saeed Anwar

[fluke]

If you talks about elegance then i would add one more name here -- Mohammad Yousaf,

But if you look at in another prospective elegance with aggression then it would be as follows:

Saeed Anwar
Yuvraj Singh

[Ab Fan]

What about Attapatu?

Personally, Mahela, VVS, Saed Anwar.. Didn't saw Abbas and a couple of more names at top while Azhar was pretty elegant too.

[indipper]

Nobody likes MoYo here?

[CadPakFan]

The most stylish player I've seen live is Mohammad Yousuf.

[projektq]

No one more elegant than MoYo in full flow.

[King-Misbah]

No better stylish and elegent batsmen then Mohammed Yousaf..not only in Asia but the world.

[moghul]

Majid Khan, no one else came even close. But not many people in PP probably saw him batting.

[Madplayer]

No votes for Tendulkar? Ganguly on off side?

Saleem malik?

[UN talkz]

Chamara Kapugedera