On the eve of the first Test match in New Zealand, Wisden.com looks back at India's legendary spinners of the past - men such as Bishan Bedi, Bhagwhat Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna - and asked former team-mates and opposition why they were so effective. We spoke to the former Indian captains, Nawab of Pataudi and Ajit Wadekar, as well as Farokh Engineer who had to keep wicket against the spinners, and Sir Garry Sobers, Alvin Kallicharran and Dennis Amiss, all of whom played against them - with some success. Each picked out similar qualities in the bowlers, such as Prasanna's flight and guile, Chandra's pace and unpredictability and Bedi's mix of aggression and control.

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