Picking a world 11 of current players who are great in all formats of cricket

Cricket has evolved a lot in the last two decades. With the significant increase in the fan following of T20 cricket, the number of internationally recognized formats of the sport has gone up from two to three. Earlier, Tests and ODIs were the only forms of international cricket.

Even when the T20I format was launched, many nations did not take it seriously in the beginning, but after the ICC made the T20 World Cup a regular part of the FTP, all countries have focused a lot on T20Is.

All three formats of the game demand different skills. Fans have seen many players specialize in one particular format. For example, Cheteshwar Pujara is known to be a Test specialist, whereas Hardik Pandya is someone who represents India only in white-ball formats now.

Very few players have mastered all three formats of the game. Here's a world XI of such players who are great in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

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Openers - Rohit Sharma and David Warner

Australia v India - ICC World Test Championship Final 2023: Day Four (Image: Getty)

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is among the best batters in the world right now. Sharma is the only player to have recorded three ODI double hundreds and four T20I centuries. Many members of the cricket universe regard him as one of the most improved red-ball players as well.

Australia's David Warner will open the batting with Sharma. Warner has been one of the most consistent batters for Australia. His average in ODIs and Tests is around 45, while he has aggregated 2,894 runs in 99 T20I innings.

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Middle Order - Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, and Kane Williamson

Australia v India - ICC World Test Championship Final 2023: Day Five (Image: Getty)

Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, and Kane Williamson will form the middle order of this team.

Pakistan captain Babar has an average of 47.96 in Tests, 59.17 in ODIs, and 41.49 in T20Is. He has excelled in all three formats when it comes to scoring runs for Pakistan.

Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson have been consistent performers as well.

Kohli has 76 international tons to his name across all three formats. Meanwhile, Williamson has helped New Zealand win the World Test Championship 2021 and finish runners-up at the Cricket World Cup 2019 and T20 World Cup 2021.

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All-rounders - Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, and Ravindra Jadeja

Australia v India - ICC World Test Championship Final 2023: Day Four (Image: Getty)

Ben Stokes has retired from ODI cricket, but he is likely to return to the 50-over format for the Cricket World Cup later this year.

The England captain played a match-winning knock for his team in the final of the Cricket World Cup 2019. He starred in England's T20 World Cup triumph last year, while his incredible achievements in Tests are quite well known.

Spin-bowling all-rounders Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja will provide a lot of balance to this team.

Ali has proven himself to be a valuable player in all three formats. The off-spin bowling all-rounder has scored more than 6,000 runs and bagged 342 wickets for England.

Jadeja has been the backbone of the Indian team in all three formats. He has 32 half-centuries and 13 five-wicket hauls in international matches. The all-rounder has also contributed a lot with his fielding.

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Bowlers - Rashid Khan, Mitchell Starc, and Jasprit Bumrah

England v India - 1st Royal London Series One Day International (Image: Getty)

Rashid Khan will lead the spin attack for this team. The leg-spinner has achieved the rare feat of taking a seven-wicket haul in ODIs and a five-wicket haul in T20Is. He has played only five Tests, but he starred in Afghanistan's maiden Test win with a half-century and a five-wicket haul.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc will lead the pace attack in this lineup.

Bumrah is one of the most dangerous right-arm pacers in the world, while Starc is the world's most dangerous left-arm fast bowler. Their combination would give sleepless nights to any opponent.

For the record, Bumrah has a bowling average of around 22 in all three formats. Meanwhile, Starc has bagged a total of 617 wickets in the three formats. He has also won the ICC World Test Championship, Cricket World Cup, and T20 World Cup.