India has produced some of the greatest all-rounders the world of cricket has ever seen. From Kapil Dev to Ravi Shastri, Manoj Prabhakar to Vinoo Mankad, Indian all-rounders have entertained cricket fans for decades with their incredible skill and natural talent.
Whether it’s match predictions or fantasy team selections, the best cricket betting strategies always take all-rounders into account. But the legends of yesteryear are long retired, so who are the current top performers in the Indian squad? Read on below for five of the best Indian all-rounders at present.
Ravindra Jadeja
No matter which ranking system we use, whether runs scored, average wickets, or both, Ravindra Jadeja always comes out on top. He is the ICC’s top-rated Test player in the world, the best bowler by performance, and a high-average batsman across all three formats.
Like Kohli, Jadeja was awarded one of India’s highest honors, the Arjuna Award, in 2019. With two ICC ODI Team of the Year selections, it’s clear that Jadeja is officially recognized as one of the most talented all-rounders in the world of cricket today.
Ravichandran Ashwin
According to ICC Player Rankings, Ravichandran Ashwin is India’s best spinner and second highest-ranked bowler. He’s won more Man of the Series awards than any other Indian cricketer and has accumulated wickets far quicker than any other player in the history of Indian cricket.
Fortunately, Ashwin’s tremendous talent as a bowler hasn’t dulled his ability to earn a good innings with the bat. It took him a while to settle on a comfortable batting position, but his current status as a middle-order power player seems to be working out quite well and has led to several Test centuries.
Axar Patel
Axar Patel’s bowling skills have proven invaluable to India’s success across all three formats of international cricket. In his Test debut for India, the slow orthodox bowler took 7 wickets against England, a clear indicator of his natural talent.
While his batting figures may not be as promising as his bowling statistics, Patel’s youth gives him plenty of time to improve in terms of all-around skill. If he can gain enough experience before age gets the better of him, he could very well become the next legend of Indian cricket.
KL Rahul
Kananur Lokesh Rahul is currently the vice-captain of India’s national cricket team and the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Together with his strong leadership skills, Rahul is a formidable batsman who can also fulfill the role of wicket-keeper.
As proof of his skill at the crease, Rahul is the first Indian player to score a century on their One Day International (ODI) debut. Additionally, he scored his first Test century in only his second Test match, and he’s the third Indian to score centuries in all three international formats of cricket.
Shikhar Dhawan
As a right-hand bowler and a left-handed batsman, Shikhar Dhawan is one of the few genuinely ambidextrous players in international cricket. However, his prolific batting strength far outweighs his skill as an off-break bowler, which is the only reason he’s not ranked higher on our list.
Dhawan is the first player in the history of the IPL to score back-to-back centuries. He has been the leading run-scorer for India on multiple occasions. He is the third Indian player in history to receive the ‘Player of the Tournament award in an International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in limited-overs cricket. Due to his immense influence on the world of cricket, he has been named the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Decade, one of ESPN’s most famous athletes, and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.
Kohli was captain of the Indian cricket team for seven years. India played over 200 matches with consistent form and a high win ratio during that time. For example, in test matches, Kohli led India to 40 wins out of 68 games played, officially making him India’s most successful Test captain.
Rohit Sharma
Between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, it’s almost impossible to decide who the best batsman is. However, in terms of world records, Sharma is definitely the better of the two. Not only is he the only player to score three double-centuries in ODIs, but he’s also the world record-holder for the highest individual score with 264 runs.
Sharma captains both the Indian national team and the IPL’s Mumbai Indians. Thanks to his leadership, the Mumbai Indians have won the IPL a record five times in total. Apart from numerous cricket awards, he has two national honors for India: the Arjuna Award and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna.
