Most attractive and entertaining left-handed batsmen of all time?

[Harsh Thakor]

My most attractive or entertaining left-handers in order of merit. 1.David Gower 2.Brian Lara 3.Gary Sobers 4.Alvin Kalicharan 5.Adam Gilchrist 6.Graeme Pollock 7.Saed anwar 8.Clive Lloyd 9.Neil Harvey 10.Arthur Morris Gower was the most lyrical with the elegance of a ballad dancer,Lara was the most imaginative,Sobers the most complete,Gilchrist the most brutal,Kalicharan was technical excellence personified. For sheer power or domination Clive Lloyd could join Sobers while Adam Gilchrist topped the list.For elegance Gower was on top followed by Lara and Kalicharan.Arguably Kalicharan was the most technically correct of all left-handers I am reproducing an article from cricinfo cordon on 'Lefties I've loved 'by V.Ramnarayana.' I am critical of his exclusion of some greats like Graeme Pollock,Arthur Morris,Adam Gilchrist ,Clive Lloyd and above all Brian Lara. Article by V.Ramnarayana on 'Lefties I've loved' from cricinfo cordon. Kumar Sangakkara's exit from international cricket so soon after Mahela Jayawardene's retirement leaves a void in Sri Lankan cricket as significant as the departure of India's batting greats from the scene a few seasons ago. Sangakkara was a cricketer's cricketer, a batsman's batsman, a left-hander's left-hander. That, however, did not mean he was not a mass hero as well. He was not the most stylish southpaw among a tribe known to be naturally graceful, yet his batting was easy on the eye, never clumsy even on the rare occasions he was out of form. His was an efficient, often voluble presence behind the stumps; his glovework was not overtly spectacular, his chatter was teasing, funny and aggressive. His captaincy was understated, effective, frequently successful. He was Tendulkar-like as a record-maker, but rarely seemed preoccupied with records. He crept into your consciousness so unobtrusively that you did not realise he had occupied a permanent spot there as one of your favourite cricketers in a lifetime of cricket watching. Most of my cricketing heroes have been right-handed. The exceptions just had to be extraordinary. Sir Garfield Sobers was the greatest of them all. It was a few years before the young Sobers burst in on the scene that I, all of nine, watched transfixed as Neil Harvey smashed nine boundaries in a 37-run cameo at the Corporation Stadium in Madras, when Ian Johnson's Australians trounced India. Our family rickshaw puller, Kathan, had run all the way to the ground from our distant home to transport me, both literally and figuratively, to the world of left-handed brilliance. Earlier that year, New Zealand's Bert Sutcliffe made two forties at the same ground, but the memory of Harvey's knock has lingered longer. When I met him at a cricket get-together in Chennai in 1998, I proudly showed off my statistical prowess by recounting details of that brief knock, only to witness some 150 old-timers repeat my feat, to Harvey's amusement. Neil Harvey left many in Madras spellbound with his cameo in 1956 © Getty Images Of India's left-hand batsmen, AG Milkha Singh was the first I watched in Test cricket. He looked vulnerable and ridiculously young in the two matches I saw him play. He failed and was discarded forever afterwards, despite a fine domestic career. Nari Contractor was brave and copybook at the top of the order, before he was felled by a Charlie Griffith bouncer. Ajit Wadekar's thrilling counter-attack in the second innings of the Chepauk Test, against the West Indies fast bowlers in January 1967 - his debut series - perhaps came in the nick of time. His earlier innings in that series had been brief and undistinguished, and but for that knock of 67, he would surely have missed the England tour that followed. Wadekar looked phlegmatic at the crease, did not seem to move his feet much, and rarely played a shot in anger, for timing was his forte. He had scored thousands of runs for Bombay, but he was not your typical Bombay batsman. Underrated by the historians, Wadekar the batsman perhaps played a crucial role more often in Indian victories than did Salim Durani, the mercurial genius. Though it was Durani's nonchalant dismissal of Sobers and Clive Lloyd during India's first Test win in the West Indies - after apocryphally snatching the ball from captain Wadekar's hand - that went into the history books, equally dramatic was his 104 after being promoted from the tail to one-drop when India followed-on in the fourth Test, in Port of Spain back in 1962. A decade later, I watched Durani toy with the left-arm spin (he was allergic to it from any bowler other than himself) of Norman Gifford, despatching sixes in the direction of the most vocal demand for them in the galleries. Ajit Wadekar: a crucial, underrated contributor © Getty Images Almost as gifted was Surinder Amarnath, treated roughly by the selectors after a great start to his Test career with a hundred on debut. He first served notice of his talent by winning a schoolboy international match for India in England by hitting two sixes off the last two balls with 11 needed. His early exit from Test cricket was as tragic as Vinod Kambli's years later; and Amarnath's batting technique had no obvious flaws. Sourav Ganguly and his protege Yuvraj Singh belong to a brave new breed of Indian cricketer. Each has thrilled in his own distinctive way, but the other left-handers I have remembered here are from a generation in which their brilliance shone amid widespread gloom, and therefore brighter. Two modern left-handers delighted spectators everywhere: Alvin Kallicharran and David Gower. Both were elegance personified but slightly built. Kallicharran, of Indian origin, was a romantic figure in a West Indies powerhouse of batting talent. They were my personal favourites among late 20th century left-handers. My grudging admiration went also to Allan Border. As it has been said of Kumar Sangakkara, Border was someone you'd unhesitatingly pick to bat for your life, wouldn't you? V Ramnarayan bowled offspin for Hyderabad and South Zone in the 1970s. His latest book is Third Man, Recollections from a Life in Cricket © ESPN Sports Media Ltd. I fail to understand how the writer can obliterate the name of Brian Charles Lara who posessed more creative genius than any batsmen of his time.His batting was mere sublime often looking like poetry being composed.At his best when batting Lara was like a surgeon and magician moulded into one.He never curbed his scoring rate even if the team faced a crisis and carried the shoulders of his team's batting or single-handedly changed the complexion of game more than any left-hander. He also forgot Adam Gilchrist,who batted like a left-handed Viv Richards and turned games like a bomber raiding an airbase.Gilchrist was the best match-winner of his day. Liked his choices of Neil Harvey,David Gower and Alvin Kalicharan.For artistry David Gower's batting was supreme who strokes resembled the blooming of a lotus.Gower held his bat like a painter's brush. Kalicharan blended technical skill with agression more than any lefty while Harvey could master all types of conditions.

[Scarves]

Cook or Broad.

[Number]

Ravindra Jadeja.

[kosingh]

Parthiv Patel. I am obsessed with him. 8gKqariBz2c

[adi B]

Most entertaining -gilly,trescothik,jayasurya,gayle and lara Most attractive- anwar,gower,langer and special mention of chanderpaul :hatsoff:

[Iconoclast]

[maniac]

Most entertaining -gilly,trescothik,jayasurya,gayle and lara Most attractive- anwar,gower,langer and special mention of chanderpaul :hatsoff:

Chanderpaul was entertaining for his weird style but his test innings were boring as hell to watch even though at one point he had one of the fastest test centuries I beleive. Langer really? He was more work man like. Infact one underrated elegant leftie has to be Stephen fleming

[HippoSucks]

David Gower was definitely one of the most attractive left-handed batsman. Just moved so much and so well on the crease. Other attractive batsman are Wasim Raja, Jayasuriya, Katich etc.

[Raghav_12]

Discussion should start with Lara and should go no further.

[coffee_rules]

Gower Lara Rest all are from planet klingon, and dont exist.

[rkt.india]

Yuvraj that mix of power, timing, and elegance. No other left hander I have seen possessed that.

[Vijy]

David Gower was definitely one of the most attractive left-handed batsman. Just moved so much and so well on the crease. Other attractive batsman are Wasim Raja, Jayasuriya, Katich etc.

Lara and Sobers for sure. Harvey was very attractive in the few innings that I saw of his.Never saw Graeme Pollock but he's reputed to be a tremendous driver I think.

[mishra]

Lara and Lara alone. Hasnt seen Pollock bat but Loved Dada shots in offside. It used to be equally ugly when bowls came to Dadas body in rib cage area

[Vijy]

Lara and Lara alone. Hasnt seen Pollock bat but Loved Dada shots in offside. It used to be equally ugly when bowls came to Dadas body in rib cage area

Used to be fun though... lots of hopping, skipping and running away.

[jf1gp_1]

Has to be Lara. Among Indians my fav is Ganguly

[maniac]

Kambli was more elegant than Ganguly in terms of strokemaing...Ganguly was awkward when he played on the legside...infact had no legside game when he started and obviously no game against the short ball....He is handsdown Indias greatest left handed batsman but no wher enear even Fleming leave alone Lara. For me in terms of elegant strokemaking it was Lara,GIlchrist,Anwar,Yuvraj and Fleming in that order....even loved Jayasuriya who was elegant in his own unorthodox way Never felt Ganguly,,Chanderpaul,Langer,Hayden,Katich ,San***** even Raina were very elegant but I understand why they show up in these lists as probably their records are taken into context

[Scarves]

I'm still sticking by Cook. Look at those features. He would make my heart swoon...I guess.

[mishra]

Used to be fun though... lots of hopping' date=' skipping and running away.[/quote'] So Dada qualifies the op critteria very well. offside-most Attractive and legside- most entertaining

[Scarves]

To answer the question honestly. In terms of batting? I would say Sangakkara for his strokeplay and Hayden for his power. Lara is awesome to watch and ditto Hussey.

[adi B]

Kambli was more elegant than Ganguly in terms of strokemaing...Ganguly was awkward when he played on the legside...infact had no legside game when he started and obviously no game against the short ball....He is handsdown Indias greatest left handed batsman but no wher enear even Fleming leave alone Lara. For me in terms of elegant strokemaking it was Lara,GIlchrist,Anwar,Yuvraj and Fleming in that order....even loved Jayasuriya who was elegant in his own unorthodox way Never felt Ganguly,,Chanderpaul,Langer,Hayden,Katich ,San***** even Raina were very elegant but I understand why they show up in these lists as probably their records are taken into context

What are you saying?? Ganguly's drives and cut shots were one of the most elegant in the history. Lara wasn't elegant,he was entertaining and gilchrist was no where near elegant. yuvi,anwar,ganguly,gower are few of the elegant stroke makers,Fleming i agreeplayed some gorgeous,effortless shots