Test cricket is the toughest form of the game. This format requires patience, diligence, and hard work. Not all players make great test cricketers. It is all about spending time on the field, executing plans and adapting at the same time. This decade has seen many white ballplayers transform into quality test cricketers. These players have proved themselves in both the longest and shortest format.
1) Rohit Sharma:
The Mumbai Indians skipper is known for his limited-overs dominance. Every white-ball bowler makes sure to prepare for this Mumbai based opener but when plans fail and Rohit gets going, there’s no delivery that can stop him. His aggressive mindset came into play when he played his first test against South Africa, Keshav Maharaj must’ve wanted to forget those maximums.
Rohit’s as a test batsman was always underestimated. He came in at 5/6 and played a short inning at the fag end. But after the team management asked him to open in tests, this batsman has shown no different form. The only change is of the format, Sharma plays with the same prowess. His 212 in the final test can be considered as a typical Rohit Sharma innings.
2) Jasprit Bumrah-
This Gujrat pacer has already established himself as the best white-ball bowler in the current scenario. His ability to bowl well in the death and not surrender to pressure in any situation distinguishes him from other fast bowlers. He started his T20 stint with Mumbai Indians in 2013, a very mediocre season for him. He first came into the spotlight, not because of his figures but owing to his different bowling action.
After all his brilliant T20 performances, Bumrah got a test cap when India toured South Africa. India won the last test of that series owing to Bumrah’s fifer. Then Jasprit just carried his form to England when he ran through strong lineups. Jasprit Bumrah is currently the pick of Indian pacers. If there was a global test team to be formed, Jasprit definitely deserves to be a part of it.
3) Jos Butler:
One of the best twenty20 wicketkeeper-batsmen English cricket has witnessed. Jos’s stint with Somerset and Lancashire earned him a national call up when he was 20. His innovations with the bat helped him attain the opener’s slot with Mumbai Indians. He can counter the best pace attack with his not so conventional shots. However, his test career didn’t start off in a similar tone.
Initial failures kept him out of the test squad for some time before he came back only to score two centuries and three half-centuries in five matches.
Butler has been quite a rare talent with the bat and his wicketkeeping skills just add on to his proficiency.
4)David Warner:
This Australia batsman played his first t20 international against South Africa in 2009. His performances in the shortest format have been phenomenal. The left-handed opener has earned a lot of name for being consistent and powerful in twenty over games. He has scored 4706 runs in the IPL, which is the highest by any foreign player. Warner’s test calls up came only after a series of brilliant performances domestically and internationally. This aggressive batsman never changed his game while playing the red ball and started off successfully.
However, after the one year ban for ball-tampering, Warner played his first comeback series against England (Ashes) and failed terribly. His recent test score of 154 against Pakistan has put his team in a strong position and all critics to rest.
5)Hardik Pandya :
After being compared to the great Kapil Dev and then criticized for his inconsistency, Hardik has seen both sides of the coin. The Baroda based all-rounder has been in news for the most part of his career including a talk show controversy he was a part of. His t20 outings with Mumbai Indians attracted the selectors, who were looking for a quality fast-bowling all-rounder in the shortest format.
After some significant twenty20 performances Hardik debuted against Sri Lanka in 2017. He scored his maiden century at Pallekelle and set a record of being the first batsman to score a century before lunch. Then started the Hardik Pandya show when he went to score 528 runs in 10 matches at an average of 35.20 with four fifties and one hundred. His innings in the last test of the South Africa series spoke about his brilliance with the bat and ball with a 5 wicket haul.
