5 players you didn't know have taken Test wickets

'Slotting' is a human tendency. It is a part of our psyche. We slot everything according to our perception.

In cricket, we slot players as batsmen, as bowlers and when we see them day in, and day out in the same role, their slotting gets an identity. Whenever we saw Graeme Smith, we knew he was the skipper of the South African team because that's what he did throughout his career. He was their de facto captain.

MS Dhoni minus the wicket-keeping gloves in the field is even hard to imagine.

The sight of Rahul Dravid throwing his cap in frustration was a more shocking sight than Mumbai Indians' unbelievable win against Rajasthan Royals in 2015. Because Dravid was our 'nice guy'.

In the same manner, some players are stamped as a 'specialist ' in cricket. Brian Lara was a specialist batsman while Glenn McGrath, a bowler. Hence, imagining Lara bowling leg break bowling is not possible and imagining Ashish Nehra playing a textbook cover drive is also not possible.

This slotting ends up in shadowing the achievements of players in other departments. Some players are remembered as a batsman only, and hence their bowling heroics have gone unnoticed.

These five cricketers who are stamped as 'specialist batsman' not only know how to roll their arm but also have a Test wicket to their name. There are a few surprising names here!

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#5. VVS Laxman

The artist among the butchers, VVS Laxman could stop the time when he played his elegant drives or his incredible flick shots. He rarely smashed boundaries, he painted them with craft and an artistic touch that made cricket more beautiful.

The man who tormented Australia during their peak phase, Laxman truly was a special batsman thanks to his miraculous innings that enabled Inda to win Tests after being pushed at a corner.

But the right-hand batsman could also roll his arm and deliver few overs when the captain ran out of ideas. He bowled off-break at a gentle pace and rarely troubled the batsmen with his turn.

However, during his career of 134 Tests, he bowled 324 deliveries and also claimed two wickets. In an inconsequential Test match against West Indies at Antigua in 2002, he sent back Adam Sanford to pick his maiden Test wicket.

Six years later, in another high scoring Test at Kolkata against Pakistan, he was called in to break the hundred run partnership for the eighth wicket and he responded brilliantly by sending back Mohammad Sami as his second and last Test wicket.

#4. Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Chanderpaul knew a thing or two about bowling

The West Indian batting maestro, Shivnarine Chandeperaul spent most of his time at the crease during his Test career. He loved batting for long durations and had unparalleled patience. One of the finest batsmen of the modern era, Chanderpaul was classic and most famous for his unorthodox batting stance.

Such are his batting statistics that his bowling exploits are almost forgotten. In his two decades long Test career, he claimed nine Test wickets. The famed Graham Thorpe was Chanderpaul's first Test victim and interestingly the West Indian bowled frequently during the initial phase of his career.

During his first ten Test innings, he delivered 88 overs while in his remaining 270 innings he bowled mere 202 overs. He concentrated mostly on his batting and the West Indies' team at that phase had plenty of bowling options so his bowling skills were left unexploited.

However, he does have nine Test wickets to his name and enjoyed an economy rate of just over 3 during his Test career.

#3. Mahela Jayawardene

A master batsman, Jayawardene could also pull off magic with the ball

On a batting friendly Colombo surface, Sri Lanka won the toss and invited India to bat first. The duo of Sadagopan Ramesh and Rahul Dravid punished Sri Lanka for this blunder and added more than 200 runs for the second wicket.

Ramesh completed his hundred and looked well set for a 150 as he was unfazed by any Sri Lankan bowler. Arjun Ranatunga, Sri Lanka's skipper was running out of options and with his frontline bowlers making no impact, he threw the ball to Mahela Jayawardene, who wasn't even considered a part-time bowler then.

However, strange things happen in cricket and on that day, Jayawardene proved this fact right by getting rid of Ramesh. It was a pure surprise as Ramesh paid the price for his lapse in concentration.

This wicket, though, didn't change the Sri Lankan player's identity and he remained as a specialist batsman. He finished his career with six Test wickets but he is mostly remembered for his classy batting and rubber-like wrists that resulted in unbelievable strokes.

#2. Alastair Cook

Cook has one Test wicket to his name

With more than eleven thousand runs, Alastair Cook is England's most successful Test batsman and will surely go down in the history as one of the best modern day openers.

In Tests, when not at the crease, Cook is seen in the slip cordon chatting with team-mates and waiting for an edge to arrive. The sight of Cook bowling in Test cricket is extremely rare and it has happened only twice during his 144 Test long career.

He has delivered a total of 18 balls in 11 years and conceded seven runs. But more importantly, he has a Test wicket to his name.

At London in 2014, the Test between India and England was headed for a draw with India's tailenders looking solid. In the last session of the game, Cook brought himself into the attack to end India's frustrating second inning and got rid of Ishant Sharma.

Sharma edged one straight in the gloves of Matt Prior and Cook earned his first and only Test wicket.

#1. Mark Boucher

Boucher bowled only once in Test cricket and picked up a wicket then

Mark Boucher's name is stamped in the history of Test cricket as one of the best wicket-keepers. An essential cog of the dominating South African Test side during the first decade of the 21st century, Boucher had a safe pair of hands behind the wickets. He was also a handy batsman in the lower order.

However, what is mostly unknown is his bowling exploits. During his 147 Test career, he came to bowl only once and importantly picked a wicket in that inning.

In the Test at Antigua in 2005, which is best remembered for Chris Gayle's triple hundred, Smith asked Boucher to replace the gloves with the red ball as the last wicket partnership between Dwayne Bravo and Dwight Washington looked threatening.

Boucher delivered his medium pace bowling which broke Bravo's concentration and the centurion batsman handed a catch to Ashwell Prince.

That was Boucher's best moment with the ball and he also became the rare bowler who picked a wicket on the last ball he delivered in Test cricket.