5 Indian players who have opened the batting and the bowling in the same ODI

Remember the pride you felt when you got a chance to open the batting and the bowling for your team while playing cricket as a kid? Now imagine doing the same for the country.

Yes, there have been numerous instances when a player has opened the bowling as well as the batting in the same match in ODI cricket. You need to be a multi-faceted cricketer to be able to achieve this feat, and many of the world's great all-rounders have taken up the mantle at some point or the other.

For India however, all-rounders have always been a rare species. The team has struggled to find players who can contribute both with the bat and the ball consistently.

Having said that, there have been occasions when, depending on the pitch and playing conditions, part-time bowlers were asked to open the bowling. Similarly, at times in the absence of regular openers, the team management took the gamble of letting a bowling all-rounder open the innings.

Here are 5 Indian players who have opened the batting and the bowling in the same ODI:

#5 Roger Binny (2 ODIs)

Roger Binny was mostly known for his swing bowling. Binny played 72 ODIs for the Indian team in which he picked up 77 wickets. Because of his ability to swing the new ball, Binny was used a lot in the early overs.

However, very few people know that Binny opened the batting in two ODIs. Both these games were against hosts Australia in the Benson and Hedges World Series 1980-81.

While in the first match Binny scored 31 runs, in the second he managed 21. The great Sunil Gavaskar was Binny's opening partner in both the matches.

India lost both the games and Binny, who was instrumental in the World Cup triumph in 1983, never got a chance to open the innings again.