Sportskeeda Cricket Awards 2017: Top 5 ODI all-rounders of the year
Cricket might be a game of specialists, but a player who can dabble in more than one aspect of the art is worth his weight in gold. Players capable of holding their own with the willow, or with the ball, aren't anywhere near as hard to find as ones who are exceptional at both.
ln ODIs, where you need to be a virtuoso in order to sparkle, all-rounders are the order of the day. In 2017, there were plenty of all-rounders who were exceptional with both the willow and the ball. Take a look at five of the best:
#5 Kedar Jadhav
The inclusion of Kedar Jadhav on this list will come as a surprise to many, but he definitely deserves his spot, having scored more runs and taken more wickets than the likes of England's Moeen Ali, Bangladesh's Shakib-al-Hasan, and New Zealand's Mitchell Santner, among others.
It was truly a sensational year for the 32-year-old. Batting at number 6 for most of the season, Jadhav was given the responsibility of going hammer and tongs at the bowling during the death and the right-hander didn't disappoint, compiling 561 runs in 18 innings at an average of over 40.
What was most impressive about his performances though was the rate at which he scored his runs: 111.08 runs per 100 balls.
His stellar contributions didn't end there though. With the ball, he performed the role of the sixth bowler to perfection. In the 15 innings he bowled, he completed his quota of 10 overs only once and scalped 10 wickets at an average of 40.9 and an economy of 4.46.