Best Combined World XI Of Current Players Who Can Play All 3 Formats Of Cricket Equally Well

One of the things that makes cricket such a unique sport is that it demands different levels of skills to succeed in different formats of the game.

And, what separates good cricketers from elite cricketers is how they adjust their game according to the skillsets required to succeed in the longest as well as short-form games.

On that note, here’s a look at the strongest possible all-format World XI of the current era who can play all 3 formats of Cricket equally well:

David Warner

Yes, he is going through a lean patch and yes, he does not have a good record in overseas Test matches but it is still fair to say that Australian swashbuckling opener David Warner is one of the few cricketers who have excelled in all three formats of the game in the current era.

Having made his debut in 2009 as a T20 basher, David Warner quickly rose through the ranks and was eventually awarded the coveted ‘Baggy Green’ during the 2011 home summer against New Zealand.

Warner has thus far featured in 86 Tests, 128 ODIs, and 81 T20Is for Australia and has racked up 7311, 5455, and 2265 runs respectively with 43 hundreds [Tests- 24, ODIs-18, T20Is-18] against his name- the most by any active cricketer after the legendary Virat Kohli [70]. Warner also has a couple of double tons and a triple hundred against his name in Test match cricket.

Rohit Sharma

An all-time great white-ball opener, Rohit Sharma is finally beginning to turn a corner in Test match cricket.

Sharma, who made his white-ball debut in 2007, had to wait till early 2010 for a Test call-up. But, just as it looked like he would finally feature for India in a five-day game, an unfortunate injury during a practice session on the morning of the Test match, delayed his debut.

The Mumbai cricketer had to wait for another three years to make his Test debut- vs West Indies in Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series. Sharma smashed a couple of hundreds in his debut series to kickstart his Test career but inconsistent performances and lack of clarity in his role coupled with injuries at the worst possible times meant that Rohit had a stop-start Test career till 2019.

The year 2019 proved to be a watershed year in Rohit Sharma’s Test career as he was promoted to the top of the order. Sharma has since then been India’s best Test player, having racked up 1030 runs in 28 innings at an average of 64.37 with two 50s and four hundreds which also includes a double-ton against South Africa.

That said, Rohit Sharma still needs to prove his credentials as a Test batsman in overseas conditions and he has a great chance to do that in the upcoming English summer.

Overall, Rohit Sharma has featured in 38 Tests, 227 ODIs, and 111 T20Is and has racked up 2615, 9205, and 2864 runs respectively which includes a total of 40 tons [Tests-7, ODIs-29, T20Is-4] and as many as four double-hundreds [Tests- 1, ODIs-3].

Virat Kohli ©

There may be a debate on who is the best Test batsman of the current era, but there is absolutely no doubt about who is the best all-format batter currently.

It’s the charismatic Indian captain- Virat ‘KING’ Kohli.

Test Cricket? Check. T20I cricket? Check. ODI Cricket? Check. Check. Overseas conditions? Check. Run-chases? Check. Check. Check.

Kohli, who made his international debut in 2008, has tick marked every single box that is required to become an all-format great.

An epitome of class, discipline, fitness, relentless consistency, Virat Kohli has 70 hundred against his name across formats. The next best is David Warner with 43 tons, which is the exact number of hundreds that Virat had managed in ODI cricket only.

Overall, Virat Kohli has scored a total of 22818 runs (Tests- 7490, ODIs- 12169, T20Is- 3159) in 91 Tests, 254 ODIs, 89 T20Is respectively. Kohli is third on the all-time list as far as most hundreds across formats are concerned with Sachin Tendulkar (100) and Ricky Ponting (71) leading the pack. Apart from this, he is also the fastest to score 10000 ODI runs besides being the current highest run-scorer in T20I cricket.

Kane Williamson

There is a reason why Kane Williamson is a part of Fab-4 which also includes the likes of Virat Kohli, Joe Root, and Steve Smith of the modern era.

While Virat is the undisputed king across all formats, Kane Williamson is a distant second. Yes, Steve Smith is a better Test batter than all three of them and Joe Root is probably better than both Smith and Kane when it comes to 50-over cricket but the New Zealand skipper pips his Aussie and English counterparts in the shortest format of the game.

Overall, Kane Williamson has featured in 83 Tests, 151 ODIs, and 67 T20Is in which he has accumulated 7115, 6174, and 1805 runs respectively with a combined total of 37 hundred [Tests-24, ODIs-13]. Williamson has kind of underachieved in T20 internationals [1895 runs at a strike-rate of 124.91] but his performances in the IPL have been phenomenal over the years.

In 57 IPL games, the SunRisers Hyderabad skipper has smashed 1747 runs at an average of 41.6 and a strike rate of 134.18 with 16 50+ scores.

Babar Azam

Babar Azam’s consistent performances across all formats of the game in the last 2-3 years has triggered a debate around his possible inclusion in the elite Fab-4 list which includes Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Steve Smith.

Blessed with a silken touch and impeccable strokeplay, Babar Azam has been the spearhead of Pakistan’s batting unit in the last three years. His ODI and T20I numbers are outstanding and while he is still a work in progress when it comes to the longest format, his performances in South Africa, Australia, and England in the past 18-24 months is ample proof that the current Pakistan skipper is well on his way to becoming an all-format great.

Overall, Azam has featured in 33 Tests, 80 ODIs, and 54 T20Is in which he has racked up 2169, 3808, and 2035 runs with 19 hundred- Tests: 5, ODIs: 13, and T20Is: 1.

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes, alongside India’s Ravindra Jadeja, is the leading all-rounder of the current era.

Stokes is one of those rare breeds of cricketers who can never be judged by raw numbers. It is the impact that they create with both bat and ball that makes them an indispensable part of any cricket team.

Stokes has been at the peak of his powers in the last 2-3 years, having scripted a plethora of match-winning performances for England. He played a stellar role in England winning the 2019 World Cup and was fittingly adjudged the ‘Player of the Tournament.

A month later, the Durham all-rounder scripted one of the unlikeliest heists in Test match cricket as he smashed a whirlwind 135* and took England past the finishing line at Leeds against the old enemy, Australia.

Stokes is probably one of the biggest match-winners going around in Test and ODI cricket due to his sheer ability to turn a match with both bat and ball and, of course, in the field.

He hasn’t really lived up to his billing in the shortest format but he has shown enough glimpse of it in IPL cricket (Read: 2017 season with Rising Pune Supergiant) and England will hope that the champion cricketer does an encore of his 2019 World Cup performance in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Rishabh Pant (WK)

Rishabh Pant has impinged himself as one of the most exciting cricketers of the current era purely because of his ability to play clutch knocks under extreme pressure in Test match cricket.

The only Indian stumper to smash Test hundreds in England and Australia, Pant had a fairytale last season where he played a number of match-winning and series-winning knocks during the Australia and England Test series.

While his whirlwind 97 on a fifth day Sydney track laid the cornerstone of an eventual draw, his 89* in the fourth innings of the following Test, not only helped India breach the Gabbatoir but also claim a historic series win.

Pant was at it again during the home series against England as he smashed a couple of half-centuries before scoring another match-winning ton in Ahmedabad.

Pant has come of age in the last 7-8 months and besides the maturity in his batting, the most visible improvement has been his wicket-keeping, especially on a raging turner.

Given his outrageous talent, Pant has underwhelming numbers in ODI and T20I cricket but his performances against England in the ODI series are anything to go by, it’s just a matter of time before he turns up the heat in all three formats on a consistent basis.

Ravindra Jadeja

He can play outrageous cameos, he can grind out a knock in tough conditions, he can run through sides with his left-arm orthodox. Don’t think we should comment on his fielding as he is truly one of the greatest-ever fielders and certainly the best fielder of the current era.

To cut the long story short, Ravindra Jadeja is pure box-office, a true three-dimensional cricket across all formats of the game.

Jadeja is at the peak of his powers with the bat in the last three years and his performances as an all-rounder in Test cricket in the last 3-4 years are second to none.

Since the start of 2017, Jadeja has scored 1106 runs in 26 matches at an average of 50.27 besides claiming 109 wickets at 24.57.

In white-ball formats, while his bowling is a bit defensive and he struggles to take wickets regularly, he can do a holding job for his team with aplomb. As far as his batting is concerned, he has taken his power–hitting to the next level in the past two years.

Overall, Ravindra Jadeja has featured in 269 international matches (Tests- 51, ODIs- 168 and T20Is- 50) and he has scored a total of 4852 runs besides claiming 447 wickets respectively.

Trent Boult

Blessed with the ability to swing the ball both ways and at pace and adjusting his game as per the demands of the format, Trent Boult is certainly one of the best all-format fast bowlers of the current era.

Having made his debut in international cricket during the 2011 Test series against Australia, Trent Boult has been the leader of the Kiwi bowling attack across formats in the past decade.

Having played 71 Tests, 93 ODIs, and 34 T20Is, Trent Boult has claimed a total of 496 wickets- Tests- 281, ODIs- 169, and T20Is- 46.

Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada has impinged himself as one of the leading pacers in the world across all three formats of the game.

Having made his debut across all three formats in 2015, Kagiso Rabada is a quintessential Proteas seamer- fast, hostile, relentless, consistent.

Rabada is just 26-year-old and within a short span of 5 years, he has already established himself as Proteas pace bowling spearhead.

Overall, KG Rabada has claimed a total of 352 wickets- Tests- 202, ODIs- 119, T20Is- 31- across formats in 148 matches and with him being just 26 yo, the sky’s the limit for the champion fast bowler.

Jasprit Bumrah

Of course, it has to be Jasprit Bumrah- the jewel in the crown of Virat Kohli’s team.

Blessed with an unorthodox action, relentless accuracy, and the ability to move the ball both ways besides nailing yorkers at will, Jasprit Bumrah is a once-in-a-generation bowler.

Following his brilliant performances for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, Jasprit Bumrah burst on the scene in white-ball cricket during the 2016 tour of Australia and he just hasn’t looked back since then.

Within a space of two years, Bumrah established himself as India’s spearhead in limited-overs cricket.

A Test match debut was inevitable. And, it came during the 2018 tour of South Africa. But due to his unorthodox action, many feared that his body wouldn’t be able to bear the rigors of Test match cricket.

But, just like all champions do, Jasprit Bumrah proved his detractors wrong and within the space of 12 months, he went on to establish himself as an indispensable part of the Test team.

He claimed five-wicket hauls in South Africa, England, Australia, and West Indies- the only Asian seamer to do so- besides finishing as the leading wicket-taker during India’s historic series win in Australia in 2018/19.

Bumrah, who claimed a Test hat trick against the West Indies in 2019, has thus far featured in 19 Tests, 67 ODIs, and 49 T20Is and has claimed 83, 108, 59 wickets respectively.

With him being just 27-year-old, like Rabada, Sky’s the limit for the champion Indian pacer.

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