World Test XI: The best of the rest

A batting average of 50 is considered to be the hallmark of a great batsman. The ‘50-Club’ is a pretty exclusive one with plenty of great batsmen spread across generations. Similarly, for bowlers, a bowling average below 25 is considered to be the gateway to the hall of legends. Now, there have been plenty of cricketers who fit neither criteria and still have been stalwarts and match-winners for their respective sides. This article is an attempt to recognize some of them.In picking this team, I will go with the standard accepted formula of 5 batsmen, one all-rounder, one wicketkeeper-batsman and 4 specialist bowlers. I am assuming that the match will be played on an ideal Test match wicket  which has something for all types of cricketers and, most importantly, good bounce.I will also only pick players who have played after the advent of television in order to get a proper perspective of their game (my apologies to a host of great cricketers like Rohan Kanhai, Neil Harvey, Frank Worrell, Bob Simpson, Arthur Morris, Stan Mccabe and so on).  

#1 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag – The man who redefined opening in Test matches. He made huge scores and made them fast. The owner of the record for the fastest 300 and the instigator of some of the most stunning assaults in Test match history. He averaged 49 and scored at strike-rate of 82. If any criticism could be levied on Sehwag, it would be about his lack of footwork that troubled him later in his career in overseas Test matches. However, as brutal Test hundreds in Johannesburg, Adelaide and Melbourne show, Sehwag on his day is capable of slaughtering anyone and everyone.

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