Picking India's all-time left-handed Test playing 11 ft. Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja

Left-handers have a special place in cricket folklore, and in Indian cricketing history as well. Although in the minority, when compared to the traditional, more dominant right-handers, their rarity is their strength. Irrespective of their skillset, left-handed batters are vital for the team's combination to put the opposition off, and also to provide some variety to the side.

India have produced a fair share of left-handed players over the years across different generations. They have more of them coming, especially in white-ball cricket, but there is a long way to go for India to become a powerhouse in terms of left-handed talent in red-ball cricket, compared to legendary names like Kumar Sangakkara, Alastair Cook, Adam Gilchrist, Mitchell Starc, Brian Lara, Graeme Smith, among others.

On that note, let us take a look at India's all-time left-handed Test playing 11.

Honorable mentions: Venkatapathy Raju, Pragyan Ojha, RP Singh, Vinod Kambli

India Top Order: Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajit Wadekar

The current Team India head coach, Gautam Gambhir, is one of the gifted opening batters that the country has ever produced. Armed with a natural grit, along with beautiful strokeplay, the left-handed opener was India's first-choice in a crucial period in its Test history. He finished with 4154 runs in 58 Tests at an average of 41.95. His classics in Napier and on his home ground against Australia are a reminder of how his peak was substantial.

Shikhar Dhawan has the privilege of having the best possible debut that an Indian player could ask for. He stormed into the scene with a colossal 187 against Australia, and though he did not have a sky-rocketing career, especially compared to his white-ball accomplishments, he remains one of the most elegant opening batters India have ever produced.

Ajit Wadekar, the former India captain who led India to iconic series wins in England and the West Indies, was a rock with flair at No.3. 59 of his 71 innings came at the crucial position in the batting order. Overall, he scored 2113 runs at an average of 31.07.

India Middle Order: Sourav Ganguly, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja

Quite easily the greatest red-ball left-handed batter India has ever produced, Sourav Ganguly is the seventh-leading run-scorer for the country. The legendary batter scored a sublime ton at Lord's on his debut, and became a vital element of the iconic Indian middle order for close to a decade. He scored 7212 runs in 113 Tests at an average of 42.17.

Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant has already proved that he has aced the longest format completely, slowly making his way to be considered as the greatest glovesman in the format. The southpaw has been a massive revelation for India in the wicket-keeping department, and his aggressive fashion of play has undeniably made an impact for the side. With 3373 runs in 46 Tests at an average of 44.38, the flamboyant player is still going strong, with his best possibly still to come.

Ravindra Jadeja has the most wickets by a left-handed bowler for India. With a tally of 326 scalps in 83 matches, one of the greatest all-rounders that the country has produced still has a lot to offer. As far as his batting exploits are concerned, he has been a reliable presence in the lower middle-order, recording 3697 runs at an average of 36.97.

India Lower Order: Ravi Shastri, Irfan Pathan, Bishan Singh Bedi, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra

The left-arm spin duo of Ravi Shastri and Bishan Singh Bedi offers both depth and mastery to the playing XI. Both players went on to coach the Indian team after their brilliant playing careers came to an end.

Shastri picked up 151 wickets at an average of 40.96 in 80 Tests, including a stunning debut series against New Zealand in 1981, where he was the leading wicket-taker. He earned the tag of an all-rounder after his batting improved over the course of his career. After averaging just 17 in his first five matches, he made a statement 93 off 243 against England while batting at No.8, and his batting only rose from there.

Bishan Singh Bedi, on the other hand, was the epitome of simplicity and elegance. He picked up 266 wickets in 67 Tests across his 13-year career, and is the eighth leading wicket-taker among Indians in the format.

India had a left-arm pace factory at the start of the century, and a majority of them made it onto the list. Having such a variety in the bowling attack was not a luxury for the side before such bowlers burst onto the scene.

Zaheer Khan remains one of the best pacers in Indian history, and he is the leading wicket-taker among left-arm pacers by a massive lead. He has picked 311 wickets in 92 Tests at an average of 32.94, and has produced a plethora of memorable spells resulting in some famous wins.

Irfan Pathan stormed into the circuit at a time when India had largely forgotten about pace bowling all-rounders. Although he could not live up to the reputation and lofty expectations, his time in the team was a memorable one. He picked up 100 wickets in 29 Tests at an average of 32.26, which includes a rare and iconic first over hat-trick. With the bat, he chipped in with 1105 runs at an average of 31.57.

Ashish Nehra's career was curtailed by injuries, and he could not quite live up to his potential in Tests, nor produce the numbers he did in first-class cricket. In a career that spanned 18 years, Test cricket only accounted for five years as he did not play a Test match after 2004. In the 17 Tests he played, he took 44 wickets at an average of 42.40.

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Edited by Gokul Nair