6 cricketers who have been great in Tests but struggled in T20s

3. Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara

After the retirements of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, the entire middle-order of the Indian team in Tests had a new look and Cheteshwar Pujara has been the face of it. His sheer class and ability to play long innings at tough times have made him the heir apparent to Dravid’s throne.

And just like his predecessor, he isn’t as efficient when it comes to T20s.

When donning the white shirt, his almost flawless technique allows him to bat for long periods where he doesn’t have to worry about scoring runs at a brisk pace. In his career so far, he has shown that batting at a quick pace is not his cup of tea.

A strike rate of just 102 in T20s – coupled with an average of 22.61 – reveals his inability to accelerate when required, which is almost always necessary in T20 cricket. And that’s why he could not find a team for himself in this year’s IPL.

4. VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman

The true epitome of a how a Test batsman should be! Laxman was unique, he was in a class of his own. There are a very few Test batsmen who could save or win Tests like Laxman could. That epic 281 against Australia remains one of the greatest innings ever played in a Test match. After all, he almost single-handedly won that Test for India.

His stature in Indian cricket is so huge that Deccan Charges, when the IPL first started, wanted him to be the icon player of their team, but being the gentleman that he is, he declined the offer so that the team could spend more money on other players without breaking the salary cap.

Ultimately, it turned out to be the right decision as he wasn’t going to have the same sort of impact in T20 cricket. His strike-rate was a miserly 114.71 and an average of 22.31 reflected his inability to replicate his class in the shortest format of the game.

Now a mentor with Sunrisers Hyderabad, he can pass on his experience of handling pressure situations, albeit in Test cricket, to the younger players.