Hit in ODI but flopped in test cricket: There have been many players who succeeded in one format but failed to replicate it in other formats. It is often observed that solid defensive players in Tests can’t succeed in white-ball formats. The England cricketing team had an array of Test and ODI/T20I specialists. But there have been many players who couldn’t translate their white ball success onto the red ball. There are a few celebrated Indian cricketers too who fall into this bracket.
We look at Indian players who were Hit in ODI but flopped in test cricket:
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#5 Ashish Nehra
He was instrumental in two of India’s World Cup campaigns in 2003 and 2011. Ashish Nehra formed a potent force with Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan in the 2003 World Cup. India lost out in the 2003 World Cup finals but went on to win the 2011 World Cup. Nehra later in his career switched to being a T20 specialist.
He went on to play in the 2016 T20 World Cup. But for all his white ball credentials, Nehra’s body didn’t allow him to succeed at the Test level. He just played 17 Tests picking up 44 wickets at a high strike rate of 78.3
#4 Dinesh Karthik
He was part of India’s U-19 World Cup team in 2004. Dinesh Karthik soon played both Tests and ODI for India in the same year. He was seen as someone who was restless. Karthik was India’s first-choice keeper until MS Dhoni broke into the system. There were multiple attempts made to revive Karthik’s Test career but he simply couldn’t come to terms with the red ball game.
He still continues to be one of India’s finest T20I players. His calling card remains the Nidhahas Trophy heroics in 2018. Karthik played 26 Tests scoring 1025 runs at a paltry average of 25.
#3 Ajit Agarkar
He long held the record for being the fastest to 50 ODI wickets. Ajit Agarkar was always seen as someone who was suited for the white ball game. He played 191 ODIs picking up massive 288 wickets at an impressive average of 27.9. His strike rate of 32.9 was credible too. But despite a couple of memorable performances in Tests, Agarkar could never really master the format. He played 26 Tests picking up 58 wickets at a high strike rate of 83.7.
#2 Suresh Raina
He was one of the lynchpins of the white ball side between 2008-16. Suresh Raina was a fabulous player in the middle order. He partnered with the likes of MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh to finish the innings. Raina was a terrific fielder who could also chip in with a few useful overs.
He made his red ball debut in 2010 smashing a century in his very first Test. But that was the lone bright spot of his Test career as Raina struggled with the demands of the red ball game. His 18 Test career ended in a pair in 2016 with him scoring just 768 Test runs at an average of 26.5.
#1 Yuvraj Singh
He was India’s man for the big occasions. Yuvraj Singh always delivered for the team in the ICC World Cups. He was the player of the ODI World Cup in 2011 replicating his 2000 U-19 World Cup feat. It was Yuvraj who was one of India’s biggest stars in the 2007 T20 World Cup win.
There was little that Yuvraj Singh did wrong in his 17-year-long white-ball career. But sadly Yuvraj couldn’t ever ace the Test format. The fans, experts, and the team dearly wanted him to excel in the red ball too but that couldn’t transpire. He scored 1900 runs in 40 Tests at an ordinary average of 33.9.
