5 cricketers whose Test career was helped greatly because of T20 cricket

All the speculation and negativity which surrounded the T20 format in its initial few years has died down with the passage of time. It has managed to break away from the ‘exhibition’ image and has emerged as yet another form of serious cricket alongside Test cricket and 50-over cricket.There also used to be a lot of talk about the adverse impact it may have on players who also play the longest format of the game. However, a number of top Test cricketers in the present day have been assisted in their rise primarily by T20 cricket.Let’s take a look at 5 such cricketers from recent times:

#5 Ravindra Jadeja (India)

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja has been quick to find his footing in the Test arena. However, had it not been for T20 cricket, we are not sure if one would have even seen Jadeja make his way into the Test side.

The allrounder burst on to the scene in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, when he impressed for the Rajasthan Royals under the captaincy of Shane Warne. It helped him earn a call up to the limited-overs sides but Tests still eluded him.

But ever since he became part of the Chennai Super Kings and became a trusted soldier there for skipper MS Dhoni, he started to knock on the doors of Test cricket. Ravindra Jadeja made his Test debut in 2012 and has been quite regular in the team from then onwards, especially in home Tests.

#4 Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

India’s ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is already on course to join the league of great spinners who have represented the country in Tests. But he is another player who can attribute T20 cricket for his emergence as a world-class Test cricketer.

Although Ashwin was a consistent performer in domestic cricket, he became a popular face in T20 cricket after being picked up by IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings in the year 2009. While at CSK, the off-spinner also won the confidence of his future captain in Test cricket, MS Dhoni.

His consistently good performances in the IPL brought him into contention for the Test team and he finally made it through in 2011. Ravichandran Ashwin has not looked back ever since as he continues to excel in all formats of the game.

#3 Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)

Brendon McCullum recently broke the record for most Test appearances since debut, but that does not imply that he was always a great Test player. However, his exploits in the T20 format did eventually have a positive impact on his career in the longest format of the game.

For the most part of his early Test career, McCullum was an effective lower order batsman who could score the occasional century for his team. But his rise as an accomplished T20 batsman in both international as well as club-level cricket rubbed off on his performances in Tests too, particularly in the last five years or so.

Brendon McCullum’s Test average by the end of 2009 was barely 32, however, it has gone up to 38.48 in the present day. This is a proof of how T20 cricket has helped McCullum evolve as a Test batsman.

#2 AB de Villiers (South Africa)

AB de Villiers may have made his Test debut quite some time before he started playing T20 cricket, but the shortest format of the game has played its part in his rise to the top in the 5-day format. One of the most important things it has done is provide de Villiers with a greater range of shots which he has applied to his Test game as well.

Ever since he became associated with the IPL and particularly after being roped in by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011, the incredible South African has taken his game to the next level in all formats, including Tests. De Villiers has managed to break the myth about good T20 cricketers not being able to perform in the longest format through his exceptional performances.

AB de Villiers is on course to become an all time great in Test cricket, but somewhere inside, he may be thanking T20 cricket for making him the icon that he is today.

#1 David Warner (Australia)

David Warner may have been one of Australia’s finest Test batsmen over the past few years, however, he first came into prominence as a T20 specialist in 2009 when he hammered 89 from 43 balls against South Africa on debut. Warner is among the greatest examples of cricketers who were helped in their Test careers by T20 cricket.

A successful start to his T20 career earned him an IPL contract and the southpaw went on to make plenty of impact for the Delhi Daredevils franchise alongside the iconic Virender Sehwag. Just two years after his T20I debut, he pipped a number of candidates to gain the opener’s slot in the Australian Test team and has not looked back ever since.

David Warner currently has more than 4,000 Test runs at an average of close to 50 and has hit as many as 15 centuries already.