5 batsmen who can play every shot

One of the beauties of the gentleman's game is the diversity it offers to the viewer. One can forever mine the skills that comprise the repertoire of a fast bowler, spinner or a batsman. Over the decades, we have had greats who owned their game, but then some greats were more equal than the others.The contemporary generation of batsmen have given cricket lovers some sparkling spectacles, thanks largely to their ability to play every shot in the book and all around the ground. So what does playing every shot in the book even mean? Probably we could divide the whole batting arsenal into 4 sets, which overlap a little bit, but represent a different skill altogether.There are the classical offside and onside shots. Some batsmen could be filtered out based on how good they are on one side of the ground but how mediocre, they could be on the other side. Then there are shots to the rising ball, which not a lot of players in the world are comfortable playing, especially on fast, bouncy wickets.Lastly, there are the attacking innovative shots, which strictly speaking are "out of the book" and yet, deserve a special category, since we are talking about the contemporary game. Please note that it isn't true that there are just 5 players who own the entire roulette, but these were picked for maximum representation across countries, age-groups and a certain style of batting. That probably is a reason why players like Eoin Morgan and Steve Smith wouldn't be in the list, although they do a lot of justice to the title.

#5 Joe Root

Joe Root is amongst the youngest players in the circuit and is already being talked about in high esteem around the world. He is probably the heir-apparent in English cricket, considering he is a smart and thinking cricketer. He nudges Glenn Maxwell out of the list, largely because he can handle spin much better and can change his game under any circumstances.

Impressing at home and away against India, Root is in the Rahul Dravid mould – originally picked for Test cricket but showing his class, ability and determination even in the ODIs. Along with players like Jos Buttler, Ravi Bopara and Alex Hales, he represents a dashing breed of new English players who give their country some hope in the upcoming World Cup.

Root is technically correct and yet, cheeky, playing scoops and reverse sweeps when he wants to. He can handle the bouncer well and of course, like any good English batsman worth his salt, can drive all along the ground!