3 best all-format batters for Team India right now
Team India are in a tough phase at the moment. On the back of a calendar year in which they failed to deliver across formats, the Men in Blue desperately need a string of results to go their way in 2023.
The batting department, in particular, has been a major source of worry for India. Intent has been questioned in the limited-overs formats, while application and ability to negotiate challenging conditions have come to the fore in red-ball cricket.
All-format batters will probably soon become a thing of the past, given the packed cricketing calendar and the unique demands of each format, but a few select names have managed to produce runs and tailor their game according to the situation.
Here are Team India's three best all-format batters right now.
Players who narrowly missed out: Virat Kohli (lack of form in Tests and ODIs over the last two years), KL Rahul (poor returns across formats in 2022), Rishabh Pant (highly underwhelming T20I form and slightly unconvincing ODI form)
#3 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma hasn't had any big scores of note since 2019, but while he has been fit and available for selection, he has managed to contribute to the team's cause more often than not.
T20Is have been Rohit's weakness of late. He has attempted to modify his game to suit a more aggressive template and has often been dismissed for starts in the process. The Indian skipper was far from his best in the T20 World Cup, but he still managed an average of around 25 at a 130-plus strike rate in 2022. In 2021, meanwhile, Rohit was excellent, with 38.55/150.89.
In 2022, Rohit averaged 41.5 at a strike rate of 114.22 in eight ODI innings, scoring three half-centuries. He played only two Tests in the calendar year, but over the previous World Test Championship cycle, he was compact in defense on a challenging tour of England while also showing great spin prowess at home.
Rohit is definitely one of India's best all-format batters on ability, much like Kohli and Rahul. But unlike the duo, he has produced slightly more tangible results and has sneaked in at #3. The Men in Blue will want their skipper to up his game and show more of his prowess.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja
This might be a tricky call since Ravindra Jadeja has been dealing with a plethora of injuries that have kept him out of action for large swathes of 2022. But when he has been fit, the all-rounder has produced terrific performances with the bat for Team India across formats.
Jadeja's white-ball bowling has become a bit of a liability, but he remains a gun with the bat in the longer formats. Yes, he has his limitations in T20I cricket, but he averaged 50.25 at a strike rate of 141.54 in 2022.
In ODIs, Jadeja's numbers with the bat over the last three years have been promising - especially in 2020, when he averaged 55.75 at a strike rate of 98.67. In Tests, meanwhile, the 34-year-old endured a tough 2021 but has been one of India's standout batters across continents for most of the past few years.
Jadeja is technically sound while being an adept stroke-maker at the same time. While he isn't a complete all-format batter, he's definitely one of India's best right now.
#1 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was India's leading run-getter in 2022, showing immense skill and application in all three formats. While he topped the country's batting charts in ODIs and came second in Tests, he even managed to give a good account of himself in the shortest format.
Shreyas displayed an uncanny ability to mold his game according to the demands of the situation. Overcoming his short-ball weakness by using a variety of unorthodox techniques, the 28-year-old scored important runs at crucial junctures to establish himself as a genuine all-format batter.
Shreyas has become a fixture in the one-day side while also being one of India's primary Test batters in subcontinental conditions. By the end of 2023, he could be an all-format regular.