Pure right-handed ODI XI
Tendulkar represented the modern right-handed cricketing greats in recent timesLeft-handed batsmen bring a certain flair and sense of style to the game of cricket. What makes it even better is the presence of the opposite side - the right handed section, a more common sight seen in the hallowed portals of the Gentleman’s Game across all formats.This unit, comprised of a bunch of extremely skilled individuals, are alike, and yet not so alike, in the manner in which they utilize the skill sets at their disposal.One set of right-handers is the slam-bang kind, gaining much more prominence in today’s lightning quick Twenty20 era. Their only mantra is to hit the ball out of the park or send it clattering over the boundary ropes.Some are labelled sloggers; yet there is a smaller subset whose style of play, though in the attacking mould, has a certain sense of refinement in savagery. The likes of Sir Viv Richards, Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell, Kevin Pietersen, Herschelle Gibbs, etc. fall into this category. Another set of Northpaws (An adjective I coined to distinguish them from Southpaws or left handers) is the kind that focuses on building & consolidating an innings. When you lose early wickets up front, you need someone with nerves of steel, immense concentration & the ability to navigate the side out of troubled waters.Although I haven’t included him in this list (not because he’s a better Test player than in the limited overs format), the quintessential epitome of this breed of cricketers is Rahul Dravid, though players such as Mahela Jayawardene, Nasser Hussain, Steve Waugh, Carl Hooper, etc. have also done similar jobs for their respective nations. Putting together an elite list of eleven players who are purely right-handed in cricketing terms is a Herculean task, especially since the conditions remain the same as the ones laid out in my article on pure left-handers - batting & bowling right-handed, while wicket keepers are irregular bowlers.For those who were expecting me to keep the Wall in this list, apologies in advance; it is very difficult to keep out legends from any playing XI. Again, this squad includes those who have retired post the 2003 World Cup & its subsequent editions.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar (India - Opening batsman)
In cricket, you come across individuals who not only have prodigious talents but also utilize them to the fullest. These guys have long had the habit of polishing and refining their craft, unfazed by injuries, the vagaries of age, and keeping a child-like enthusiasm alive for a long time.
Twenty-four years of international cricket, 463 ODI matches, over 30,000 runs scored across Tests, the 50-over format, first-class & List A cricket - Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has truly become the global ambassador of the modern game. It, therefore, is not surprising that he occupies the first opener’s slot - a spot he had made his own for India in the coloured flannels version of the game.
Although he is cross-dominant (writing with his left hand), the Mumbai maestro has been called the most complete batsman in the history of cricket. He’s a rather unique combination: blending in classical technique with raw aggression is an ability few have mastered over the years.
The backfoot punch, the straight drive, the paddle sweep and the trademark flick to square leg - all of these bear the hallmarks of long hours spent in the nets, on hard dusty bowls in the subcontinent, and the fast, bouncy tracks on offer overseas.
Adept at reading field placements and bowlers’ minds, Tendulkar has been the architect of many famous victories for the Men in Blue. It was thus befitting, for a player of his stature, to achieve the distinction of becoming the first male cricketer to score a double century in ODI cricket - a feat repeated by his protege Virender Sehwag and twice by the younger Rohit Sharma.
His mastery of the Australians in Sharjah is still a vivid memory in the minds of his die-hard fans. For someone who once had ambitions of becoming a fast bowler, the Little Master is more than a handy bowler, with his unique mixture of seam, leg spin and off spin, and he has the knack of picking wickets at crucial intervals.
This odd yet potent concoction has resulted in the collapse of the opposite lineup many times. A fine fielder in the deep, Tendulkar is truly the man you would love to have at the beginning of the innings!