Top 5 wicketkeeper-batsmen in Test cricket currently

Combining great batting with equally great wicket-keeping is one difficult act One of the best sentences that describe gloves manship is also a thankless one: ‘a wicketkeeper is doing everything right when he goes unnoticed.’Indeed, wicketkeeping is not a job that is often recognized for analysis or review and a good wicketkeeper is almost always left unappreciated. It is probably this notion that fuels today’s glovesmen to work themselves not just behind the stumps but also in front of it.Representing your country is a huge issue, and the criteria laid down by national selectors might seem overwhelming. Gone are those days when one could just focus on diving, catching and stumping and reserve a spot in the dressing room.Cricket has changed a lot, and irrespective of how good you are with the gloves, you’re not worth a place in modern times unless you hold the potential to score a hundred at No. 7.Most of the international teams have undergone phases of transition in the last few months. Matt Prior handed over the gloves to Jos Buttler last summer, Peter Neville has replaced Brad Haddin, Wriddhiman Saha has taken over the mantle from MS Dhoni. South Africa is exploring options in Quinton de Kock and Dane Vilas in order to relieve AB de Villiers of part-time duties while Sri Lanka is still undecided between Kusal Perera and Dinesh Chandimal.Keeping with the discussion, the author, here, enlists five best wicketkeeper-batsmen currently in Test cricket.

#5 BJ Watling

Bradley John Watling, lovingly called ‘Crabby’ for his excellent lateral movement in the field, has been in and out of the New Zealand dressing room since 2008-09. The rain that had dashed his hopes of a century on debut against Pakistan also dimmed his chances somewhat of making a lasting impression on the selectors’ minds.

However, the right-handed opener does have impressive statistics to boast of. He was involved in a 352-run record partnership with Kiwi skipper Brendon McCullum in early 2014 which was surpassed 11 months later by Kane Williamson and him against Sri Lanka. Further, the 33-Test old batsman has already been involved in 3 of the 6 highest 200+ run sixth wicket partnerships in the team’s history.

Take all that and the fact that he is a part-time wicketkeeper who has stood behind the stumps on more number of occasions than a part-timer usually does. In fact, 101 catches and 5 stumpings in just 56 innings speak volumes about his fielding.

With Luke Ronchi not doing enough justice to his promise and Brendon McCullum reluctant to don the gloves in the longest format of the game, Watling definitely seems to be in for a good run in the foreseeable future.

#4 Denesh Ramdin

Unlike most of his contemporaries, Denesh Ramdin is a wicketkeeper first and then a batsman. His smooth and lithe movements behind the wickets have earned many plaudits, especially during the India tour in mid-2006 on pitches where the ball died even before reaching him.

In fact, it was his unmistakable skills as a gloves man - more than 200 dismissals are a testament to that - that earned him a place in the team during rough patches with the bat.

The right-hander’s inconsistent batting has been a concern for a period of time, but with the kind of drought in the department West Indies cannot really afford to look beyond him. Additionally, with a decade of experience in the international arena, Ramdin is obviously the best bet for the Caribbeans until someone else takes a reasonable claim.

#3 Wriddhiman Saha

After serving as MS Dhoni’s understudy for what seemed to be like ages, the technically sound Wriddhiman Saha has finally begun to find his footing in Test cricket at 31, courtesy the former’s retirement. There haven’t been much statistically to write about home in his nine-match Test career yet, but Saha has already impressed all and sundry with his temperament and work ethics.

With 78 first-class and 96 List-A matches under his belt, Saha is hardly short of experience. Speaking about him after the second Test against South Africa, Indian skipper Virat Kohli did not mince his words, “He’s confident of his keeping, I’m sure of that. But when he becomes confident of his batting, with the amount of runs he scores and the impact he makes, he will be that sort of perfect No. 6, No. 7 at times for us. He’s someone I see can handle pressure situation well.”

Going by the determination which he displayed against the Australian pacers during the well-fought 35 in India’s first innings at Sydney this January, none would doubt that last line about Saha.

#2 Dinesh Chandimal

There’s more to the unassuming 26-year-old Dinesh Chandimal than meets the eye. He is not only a fantastic stroke player with tremendous maturity but also the lynchpin of the Sri Lankan middle-order who is equally adept at holding things together and building an innings brick by brick with patience, grit and perseverance.

Ever since his debut where he scored a fifty in each innings, the prolific right-hander has displayed immense promise in the longest format of the game. His unbeaten 162 in the third innings against India at Galle helped Sri Lanka recover from 5 for 3 and 95 for 5 (trailing by 192) and take a match-deciding 175 run-lead.

It was during this innings that he became the fastest wicketkeeper-batsman to complete 1000 Test runs (in 22 innings at an average of 58.44).

His glovework is quite decent and he being behind the stumps provides Sri Lanka the much-needed option of fielding an extra batsman or a specialist spinner in case of a 5-bolwer strategy. One however hopes that this added responsibility will not affect his batsmanship negatively as had been the case with AB de Villiers.

#1 Sarfraz Ahmed

Truth be told, Pakistan have not had a respectable wicketkeeper since Moin Khan. The likes of Kamran Akmal and Zulqarnain Haider have either proved to be unsuitable for the responsibility or have been put up with for too long. Sarfraz Ahmed’s 63 dismissals (46 catches and 17 stumpings) in 21 Tests at an average of 3 dismissals per match, therefore, seem fairly decent.

The right-hander from Karachi has his heart set on batting - a fact that is evident every time he takes the guard at the crease. Averaging 46.28 with 3 centuries and 7 fifties, Sarfraz has definitely sealed his spot in the team.

Batting with the tail at No. 7 with the second new ball due around this time takes a mature approach to the game and Sarfraz has excelled in that more often than not.

After spending more than five years in Test cricket, the much-hyped 28-year-old is finally looking to peak with impressive scores against Sri Lanka five months ago. It only remains to be seen whether he ends up being as productive with the gloves as he promises to be with the willow.