Players see Tests and ODIs/T20Is at very two distant ends of the spectrum. Although the basic skills guarantee success in all three formats, the approach could be different. While bowlers should necessarily change their tactic with the change in colour of the ball, a few batsmen also alter their strategies. In this article, we take a look at five active players who bat at different positions in Tests and ODIs.
Batting position is extremely important in Tests. Each slot in a Test-playing XI has a responsibility, and the best fitting cricketer must be slotted in it. However, in limited-overs cricket, barring the openers, it is more of giving your best batsman the maximum number of deliveries to face.
1) Virat Kohli
No.3 in ODIs and No.4 in Tests
Virat Kohli is one of the popular players who bat at different positions in Tests and ODIs. While he takes the No.3 slot in ODI and T20I cricket, he bats at No.4 for Team India in Tests. Thanks to the brilliance of the cricketer, he is the best at these slots in the respective format of the game. In limited-overs cricket, Virat Kohli does the anchor role for the team. However, in Tests, it is more of a task where Virat has to adapt to the game situation and perform accordingly. This has served well for Team India.
2) Quinton de Kock
Opening in ODIs and No.6/7 in Tests
The likes of Adam Gilchrist started the trend of limited-overs openers batting in the lower middle-order in Tests. The logic is very simple. With the second new ball due after 80 overs, a player must be available who is used to playing the new ball. A specialist opener is the best possible option for it. Also, if the limited-overs opener is a wicket-keeper, it is best that he gets to rest before he comes out to bat again in Tests. QDK, though, has succeeded in the role. While he is one of the best openers in limited-overs cricket, he has been impactful for the Proteas in the middle-order in Tests.
3) Jonny Bairstow
Opening in ODIs and No.5/6 in Tests
Jonny Bairstow is also one of the players who bat at different positions in Tests and ODIs. The Englishman opens the batting for his country in ODIs and T20Is but takes up a slot in the middle-order for his Test team. It also needs to be mentioned that Bairstow has experience of playing in the middle-order in ODIs and T20Is. In fact, SRH tried him at this position in the recent IPL games. However, the move did not pay dividends, and hence, he was brought back to the openers slot.
4) Babar Azam
No.3 in ODIs and No.4 in Tests
Similar to Virat Kohli, Pakistani superstar Babar Azam also plays at No.3 in ODIs and No.4 in Tests. However, unlike for Virat, Babar’s role was not clear until recently. Hence, if you take a look at his stats by the position in the batting order, it would be scattered from the opening position to No.5. That said, in recent months, Babar bats at plays at No.3 in ODIs and No.4 in Tests.
5) Tom Latham
No.5 in ODIs and Opening in Tests
Although we have seen batsmen making the shift to the middle-order in Tests, Latham‘s case is different. He is a brilliant opener in Tests while he plays in the middle-order in ODIs and T20Is. That said, Latham started his limited-overs career as an opener but with the likes of Colin Munro, Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls in the fray, he has taken a slot in the middle-order.
