5 Indian lower order batsmen who were promoted to the top order

 

Sachin Tendulkar’s numbers are a clear manifestation of his batting masterclass

There are two kinds of batsmen- batsmen who are suited to certain positions and batsmen who fine-tune their game to stand up as per the requirements of the team. And, it’s not the fault of players by any stretch of the imagination. However, it’s always a blessing, having versatility in the scheme of things.

There are also batsmen who have started as lower-order batsmen, only to be revealed that there is much more to the skills that need huckster. As a result, gambles were taken. Some clicked and some didn’t. The following are examples of Indian lower-order batsmen who were promoted to the top order.

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#5 Sachin Tendulkar

Writing down the Master Blaster’s career is equivalent to attempting the improbable. It’s hard to believe the fact that he has even played in the lower order. Sachin Tendulkar has been a success in all positions he has batted in.

Since his debut, he has played a handful of matches in the number 6 slot. He massacred his way to his debut Test ton in 1990 versus England. His second Test century also came playing down the order. The selectors didn’t take long to realise his potential and sent him up the batting line-up.

Until November 1993, he had been a regular in the lower order, after which he started taking the mantle of a top order batsman. Since then he has only come 4 times (3 times in Tests and 1 time in ODI’s) in the lower half of the batting order. It goes to show the extent of consistency Tendulkar has shown over the years.

Since then, it has been one-way traffic for Tendulkar. Tumbling down records was bread and butter for him. The following stats are nothing other than grand salutes to the calibre of the great man.

One Day Internationals 

Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	6	168	42	0	57*
1 to 5	457	18258	44.85	49	200*
Tests
Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	18	862	41.04	2	148
1 to 5	186	15059	54.76	49	248