5 Indian batsmen who could have played as all-rounders in ODI cricket

All-rounders are a commodity who have always been in demand in cricket, especially white ball cricket. All-rounders are vital for the success of any team. The all-rounders provide their team management the option of playing an extra bowler or batsman in the team.

A cricket team regularly uses part-time bowlers to bowl some overs if their main bowlers concede too many runs. Normally these are bowlers who are in the team for their batting and only bowl if the main bowlers don't perform well. There are times when some of these part-time bowlers surpass the expectations of the captain or the team management and become much more than a part-time bowling option.

The Indian has been fortunate over the years to have such valuable bowling options in ODI cricket as the Indian team is not known to possess many genuine all-rounders in international cricket. These bowling options have provided the Indian captain genuine bowling options for the role of the fifth bowlers. Sometimes some of these bowling options collectively bowl the overs of the fifth bowler.

Let's have a look at 5 Indian batsmen who have been a valuable bowling option for the Indian ODI cricket team over the years.

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#1 Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar - valuable bowling option

Bowling: Wickets - 154, Economy - 5.10, best bowling - 5/32

Batting: Runs - 18426, Avg - 44.83 , Strike-rate - 86.23

Master blaster Sachin is the highest run-getter in ODIs and is known all over the world for his dexterous batting. He was also a very capable spin bowling option for his team. His bowling style was right arm off break or leg break googly.

He took over 150 ODI wickets and is among the highest wicket-takers for India in ODI cricket. He also possesses 2 five-wicket hauls against Australia and Pakistan. His best bowling effort came against Australia when he picked up 5 for 32 runs and was awarded the man of the match in 1997. He could have easily played as a batting all-rounder for the Indian team.

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#2 Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly - good bowling option

Bowling: Wickets - 100, Economy - 5.06, best bowling - 5/16

Batting: Runs - 11363, Avg - 41.02 , Strike-rate - 73.70

Sourav Ganguly is the second highest run-getter in ODIs for India and is known all over the world for his batting exploits while opening the innings in ODI cricket. He was also a very valuable bowling option for the Indian team. His bowling style was right arm medium.

He took 100 ODI wickets and is among the few Indian bowlers to take 100 ODI wickets. He also possesses 2 five-wicket hauls against Zimbabwe and Pakistan. His best bowling effort came against Pakistan when he picked up five wickets for 16 runs and helped India defend a low score of 182 against Pakistan. He could have easily played as a proper all-rounder.

#3 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag - bowled many valuable overs

Bowling: Wickets - 96, Economy - 5.26, best bowling - 4/6

Batting: Runs - 8273, Avg - 35.05 , Strike-rate - 104.33

Virender Sehwag scored over 8000 ODI runs and is known all over the world for his destructive batting. He was also a very capable spin bowling option for his team was regarded as a partnership breaker. His bowling style was right arm off break.

He took 96 ODI wickets which are a high number for someone who opens the batting for his team. He possesses a 4 wicket haul and took 3 wickets in an innings 8 times. His economy was also decent at 5.26. He could have played as an all-rounder in the Indian ODI squad.

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#4 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh - left arm menace

Bowling: Wickets - 111, Economy - 5.10, best bowling - 5/31

Batting: Runs - 8701, Avg - 36.55 , Strike-rate - 87.67

Yuvraj Singh scored 8701 ODI runs and is known all over the world for his aggressive batting and six hitting capability. He was also a very capable spin bowling option for his team. His bowling style was slow left-arm orthodox.

He took 111 ODI wickets and places amongst the highest wicket-takers for India in ODIs. He also possesses one five-wicket haul and 2 four-wicket hauls in ODIs. His more than capable part-time left-arm spin helped him win the man of the tournament during the 2011 world cup for his all-around performances. He could have easily played as an all-rounder for the Indian cricket team.

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#5 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina - defensive bowling option

Bowling: Wickets - 36, Economy - 5.11, best bowling - 3/34

Batting: Runs - 5615, Avg - 35.31 , Strike-rate - 93.50

Suresh Raina has scored over 5500 ODI runs and batted brilliantly in the middle order. He was also a very capable part-time spin bowling option for his team. His bowling style was right arm off break.

In comparison to Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvraj, and Ganguly, his bowling record looks a bit weak but still, he picked up 36 ODI wickets which are a high number for a part-time bowler. His economy rate was pretty good and was entrusted to bowl more than 350 overs in ODIs. His best bowling effort of 3 for 34 against the West Indies team in 2013. He could have played as an all-rounder in the ODI team.