Ashwin names Sachin Tendulkar greatest after choosing Bumrah over Kohli in ESPNcricinfo bracket
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said Sachin Tendulkar was the greatest Indian cricketer after working through an all-time India bracket during an ESPNcricinfo interaction published on August 29, 2026. In the exercise Ashwin made several notable calls, including preferring Jasprit Bumrah to Virat Kohli and selecting Virender Sehwag ahead of MS Dhoni.
Ashwin was presented with a knockout-style bracket that pitted players from different eras and formats against each other, and he described the Kohli–Bumrah quarter-final as his toughest choice. He acknowledged having to think hard before opting for the fast bowler and later said that his perspective as a bowler may have influenced that pick.
On the Kohli–Bumrah pairing Ashwin said, "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." He followed with, "Maybe there's a bit of a partiality. I'll pick Jasprit Bumrah." The piece also noted Bumrah's standing as the leader of India's Test attack and a leading fast bowler in white-ball cricket.
When asked to choose between MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja Ashwin described the decision as tempting and ultimately backed Dhoni on the basis of captaincy and multi-format credentials. He said, "Oh, my goodness. Dhoni vs Ravindra Jadeja. Very tempting to go to Jadeja," and added, "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. Very close for me. I was very tempted to go for Ravindra Jadeja for a wee bit of time."
Sehwag featured in Ashwin's bracket after surviving a first-round match with Sunil Gavaskar, and the spinner admitted discomfort at the prospect of leaving Gavaskar out. On Sehwag he said, "Oh gosh, across formats. Virender Sehwag. That's unfair. That's unfair to Sunil Gavaskar."
Ashwin's first-round selections included Tendulkar over Vijay Hazare, Kohli over Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid over Vinoo Mankad, and Bumrah over Anil Kumble; when paired with Sourav Ganguly he chose the former India captain over himself, saying, "Oh, my God. I'll pick Sourav Ganguly. Let me be absolutely safe." As the bracket advanced, Tendulkar beat Ganguly, Kapil Dev defeated Dravid, Sehwag eliminated Dhoni and Bumrah knocked out Kohli.
In the semi-finals Tendulkar faced Sehwag and Kapil Dev met Bumrah; Ashwin backed Kapil for his all-round cricket and 1983 World Cup contribution, saying, "The all-round ability is so tempting, right? The 1983 World Cup win. Kapil Dev. Kapil Dev," and Kapil ended Bumrah's run while Tendulkar prevailed over Sehwag to set up the final.
Ashwin concluded the bracket by choosing Tendulkar over Kapil in the final and cited personal preference: "Personal bias should count at some stage. I'll go with Sachin Tendulkar." The exercise finished with Tendulkar at the top of Ashwin's all-time India lineup.