It was the 1996 World Cup and Sri Lanka were grinding the opposition with ease. Besides having the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas in their bowling line-up they had an explosive batting unit too.
It was Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana who gave the islanders a perfect start with some dazzling strokeplay and later on the likes of the then captain Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda De Silva would carry on from where they left.
Most of the times the ploy to “tonk it hard” in the first fifteen overs worked for the Lankans and eventually they became the champions. Jayasuriya was praised for his power-hitting and his knocks are still fresh in the minds of the Sri Lankan supporters but not many know he came into the team as a left-arm spinner who could bat a little.
But then again just before the 1996 world event started, Jayasuriya, time and again was shining with the bat. As a result from lower down the order, he was asked to open the innings by his captain Ranatunga. In this article, we will, however, look into just the reverse. We have listed five cricketers who started off as batsmen but then became world class bowlers.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin has grabbed 10 wickets in the first Test and 6 in the second in the ongoing Test series between India and New Zealand with his crafty offspinners. He is also in the running to claim the man-of-the-series award provided he comes up with another match-winning performance in the last Test but hasn’t he been batting brilliantly too in the last few Test outings?
He has two centuries in his previous seven innings. If you are wondering how he has enhanced his batting skills now, strain your brain no further because Ashwin started off as a batsman in junior cricket. He was quite good with the willow too but his coach decided against it and asked him to bowl spin. He made his ODI debut for India in 2011 and has gone on to claim 142 wickets from 107 matches. His bowling figures in the Test matches are even more staggering. He has 207 Test wickets from 38 outings.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja
He is Ashwin’s partner in crime and like the Tamil Nadu talent Jadeja bowls offspinners too. But he is a left-arm tweaker who is presently proving to be a menace for the New Zealand Test side. He has had a good show with the ball in the last few games and that seems to have boosted his confidence with the bat too. Though he might find himself playing predominantly as a bowler in recent times he is no mug with the willow. The left-handed batsman who plays for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy started off his playing career with a bang and has three triple centuries to show for it but then his accurate bowling suddenly stole the limelight and now Jadeja’s role in the Indian team is more of a star tweaker who can bat a bit. Jadeja has 265 wickets and 2599 international runs.
#3 Ajit Agarkar
The former Indian pacer was well known for his swing. He could move the ball in the air and then deviate it off the pitch, an art which is really difficult to perform. He had quite a successful career with the Indian team. Hailing from Mumbai, Agarkar played 26 Tests and 191 One-Dayers and fourT20s. But Agarkar had started off as a batsman.
When he was in school Agarkar had reportedly scored a triple ton. In 1994, he played for the India U-17s in a series against an England team comprising of players like Andrew Flintoff, Alex Tudor and Gareth Batty and was a No.5 batsman then. He had also slammed a century for the U-19s. But Agarkar said if he had not been a bowler he would never have had the chance to get into a batting-heavy Mumbai team. For the record, he has a highest Test score of 109 not out.
#4 Anil Kumble
It is hard to believe but Kumble started off as a batsman first and even opened the innings as a U-15 cricketer. But soon he found he could do wonders with the cricket ball. He bowled medium pace at first but then tried his hands at spin. He stuck to the change and made his debut for India as a legspinner in 1990. He played his last Test match in 2008. In a career which had spanned around 18 long years he was India’s favourite spinning magician.
He has 619 Test wickets from 132 games and 337 wickets from 271 One-Dayers. Though not consistently, Kumble also played crucial knocks for India with the willow. In Test matches, he has scored 2506 runs with the highest score of an unconquered 110.
#5 James Franklin
The New Zealand left-arm pacer first made waves as a batsman. He started off as a middle order willower but then he decided to take his bowling more seriously. He could swing the ball both ways and initially had pace too. He bowled with a big heart and was rewarded too with 82 wickets in Tests and 81 in One-Dayers.
But he never quite forgot how to strike the long ball. He has scored 808 from 31 Tests and 1270 runs from his 110 ODIs. He is still a prolific striker in domestic T20s where he has scored 3803 runs in the format.
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