5 Indian lower order batsmen who were promoted to the top order

There are two kinds of batsmen- batsmen who are suited to certain positions and batsmen who fine-tune their game to stand up as per the requirements of the team. And, it’s not the fault of players by any stretch of the imagination. However, it’s always a blessing, having versatility in the scheme of things.

There are also batsmen who have started as lower-order batsmen, only to be revealed that there is much more to the skills that need huckster. As a result, gambles were taken. Some clicked and some didn’t. The following are examples of Indian lower-order batsmen who were promoted to the top order.

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#5 Sachin Tendulkar

Writing down the Master Blaster’s career is equivalent to attempting the improbable. It’s hard to believe the fact that he has even played in the lower order. Sachin Tendulkar has been a success in all positions he has batted in.

Since his debut, he has played a handful of matches in the number 6 slot. He massacred his way to his debut Test ton in 1990 versus England. His second Test century also came playing down the order. The selectors didn’t take long to realise his potential and sent him up the batting line-up.

Until November 1993, he had been a regular in the lower order, after which he started taking the mantle of a top order batsman. Since then he has only come 4 times (3 times in Tests and 1 time in ODI’s) in the lower half of the batting order. It goes to show the extent of consistency Tendulkar has shown over the years.

Since then, it has been one-way traffic for Tendulkar. Tumbling down records was bread and butter for him. The following stats are nothing other than grand salutes to the calibre of the great man.

One Day Internationals

Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	6	168	42	0	57*
1 to 5	457	18258	44.85	49	200*
Tests
Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	18	862	41.04	2	148
1 to 5	186	15059	54.76	49	248

#4 Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan is way more than just handy with the bat

He stormed in like thunder, threatened to dominate world cricket and gradually faded away in the dust. While skills with the ball in hand were never a concern for the man from Baroda, he was also no mug with the willow.

Bowling was primary to him with batting being a bonus. Nevertheless, he played some handy knocks in the top order. From October 2004 to August 2008, Pathan played 27 international games in the top-order which goes to prove that he had the pedigree of a specialist batsman. His maiden Test Century versus Sri Lanka was a treat to the eyes.

The fact that it turned out to be detrimental to his bowling was something that India couldn’t afford. He lost his primary weapon- swing- and his pace dipped rapidly and it’s attributed to his expulsion from the team. He had all the attributes to become a quality all-rounder, but his career went in the wrong direction. The illustrations below will reveal how much he enjoyed batting.

One Day Internationals

Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	99	1051	22.36	0	64
1 to 5	21	493	25.94	0	83
Tests
Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	28	902	32.17	1	102
1 to 5	6	203	29.00	0	93

#3 Rohit Sharma

Stop-start in the beginning to a smooth drive afterwards: Rohit Sharma's career in a jist

Rohit Sharma’s class, grace and flair became his USP only in the second half of his career. The first-half has more or less been blobbed by inconsistencies and the disconsolate part was that it became a roadblock to a gifted talent.

Lower order wasn’t justified considering his versatility of stroke making. He came in too late in the batting order to force any sort of impact, but his numbers weren’t encouraging enough to promote him up the order.

During the period from June 2007 to March 2012, he managed a horrendous average with just one half-century versus Pakistan. Since January 2013 in the home series versus England, he has been handling the opening slot.

Nonetheless, once he was promoted up the order, he blossomed grandiloquently and now he is a batting stalwart of India at least in the limited overs format. In the 35 matches he has opened, he averages a staggering 52.03. He enjoys the new ball as his record will suggest in the data given below.

In Test match cricket, he has been patrolling the number 5 and 6 slot and is suited to the position. With Vijay, Dhawan, Gambhir and Rahul competing for the opener’s slot, commencing an innings for India in Tests isn’t in the offing for Rohit.

One Day Internationals

Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	22	270	22.50	0	58
1 to 5	126	4738	44.28	10	264

#2 Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri was one of the best all-rounders India has ever produced

Ravi Shastri is one of the very few players whose career switched directions from being a bowling all-rounder at the start of his career to being a batsman who could bowl a bit in the latter part of his tenure with the Indian team.

In the ODI format he has seen it all, batting way down at number 10 to earning the regular opener’s slot in the last couple of years of his career. Versatility oozed from his batting as he was pretty much consistent in all the positions. Like all Indian batsmen, he loved the Indian wickets as he notched up all his centuries in India against the likes of South Africa, England and Australia.

The rollicking double century versus Australia at Sydney in 1992 is the first thing one recalls when asked about Shastri’s Test career. To be precise, he has 7 out of 11 Test centuries in overseas conditions. He was equally potent at all places considering the rigours of Test Cricket. The 1983 World Cup winning member was an indispensable part of the team for a reason.

Though he moved up the batting ladder in the second half of his career, his range of strokes wasn’t questionable and the astounding part was that he only got better with age. The stats below only shows the invincibility of the individual in international cricket.

One Day Internationals

Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	86	1373	27.46	0	73*
1 to 5	64	1735	30.43	4	109
Tests
Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	51	2063	36.19	6	142
1 to 5	34	1767	35.34	5	206

#1 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag was a character of his own, unruffled by noises around him

A swashbuckling and cavalier batsman, Virender Sehwag was one who was hard to be pigeonholed in the opener’s slot. Sehwag thrived on living by the sword and the character of pinch-hitter rubbed off on him.

The opener’s role was eminent of wearing down the shine of the leather and Sehwag didn’t quite fit in there. He came in the lower order in the ODI format, but quite astonishingly, didn’t hit his straps as the records suggested below will reveal. The panic button was pressed and Sehwag was handed over the responsibility of playing the new ball.

It turned out to be a masterstroke for his own team and a nightmare for opponents. He completely changed the concept of new-ball batting and with the help of audacious stroke-play and exquisite hand-eye coordination, gave a new dimension to opening the batting.

In the ODI format, after 2001, he opened for India regularly. In the Test format, he played in the lower order for one year before moving up the order. Out of the 12 Test innings down the order, he played 5 and 4 innings versus South Africa and England respectively.

India’s tour of South Africa in 2001 turned out to be his debut series and Sehwag took a liking to the Proteas bowlers with a century in his debut innings in Bloemfontein. The below statistics is just a small depiction of Sehwag’s illustrious career.

One Day Internationals

Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	10	140	17.50	0	58
1 to 5	241	8133	35.67	15	219
Tests
Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	8	374	41.55	1	105
1 to 5	99	8212	49.76	22	319