6 Players Considered Initially As Test Specialists But Became Quality T20 Cricketers
With the introduction of T20 cricket, teams have been actively involved in drawing a distinct line between formats when it comes to the talent pool available in the nation. Due to this demarcation, many players have actually not got a chance in other formats. In this article, we take a look at six players considered initially as Test specialists but became quality T20 cricketers later on.
Test match specialists require separate skillsets that are suited to the five-day feature of the game. It is usually hard for them to make a mark in the shorter format. Nevertheless, a few managed to do it. We discuss six such cricketers in this article.
1) KL Rahul - One Of The Players Considered Test Specialists But Became Quality T20 Cricketers
Let alone with Team India, even at Karnataka, KL Rahul was popular as a Test batsman only. He also made his India debut purely based on his performance in the Ranji Trophy. However, the 2016 edition of IPL was the game-changer for Rahul. He went on to do well in the shorter formats and cemented his place in the XI. Currently, KL Rahul is one of the best T20 batsmen that Team India has.
2) Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson was popular for his Test-match batting skills at the start of his career. Even in IPL, the Kiwi was never rated highly. Sunrisers Hyderabad had initially picked him for a very low price. However, as the years passed by, Williamson became one of the best T20 batters in the game. At the same time, he has kept his form intact in Tests. Hence, he is one of the Fab-4 batsmen currently.
3) Josh Hazlewood
Although the Aussie pacer made his limited-over debut at the start of his career, it was in Tests that he truly found his groove. Hence, he hardly played other formats after he had got a place in the Aussie Test team. However, in the last few years, Josh has seen his T20I career rekindle. In fact, he could be leading his country's bowling attack at the upcoming World T20.
4) Ashton Agar - One Of The Bowlers Considered Test Specialists But Became Quality T20 Cricketers
Ashton Agar made his international debut in Test cricket. For the first few years, he was known as a Test player. However, at the moment, he is one of the highest-ranked Aussies in ICC's T20I bowling charts. This is all due to the player's improvement in T20 bowling and also big-hitting with the bat.
5) Murali Vijay
Similar to KL Rahul, even Murali Vijay was restricted to the Test format at the start. However, in the initial seasons when CSK was dominating, it was the T20 side of Vijay that was in top form. That said, the Tamil Nadu man never did well in the shorter formats for Team India. Later, in IPL, too, Vijay lost form and had to be released by CSK.
6) Hashim Amla - One Of The Batsmen Considered Test Specialists But Became Quality T20 Cricketers
Hashim Amla was popular for his technique in ODIs and Tests but was not regarded much in T20 format. This was mainly because he was not known for his big-hitting. Nevertheless, the South African did extremely well in the T20s in the years preceding his retirement. He also found success in IPL with Kings XI Punjab.