5 Indian lower order batsmen who were promoted to the top order

#2 Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri was one of the best all-rounders India has ever produced

Ravi Shastri is one of the very few players whose career switched directions from being a bowling all-rounder at the start of his career to being a batsman who could bowl a bit in the latter part of his tenure with the Indian team.

In the ODI format he has seen it all, batting way down at number 10 to earning the regular opener’s slot in the last couple of years of his career. Versatility oozed from his batting as he was pretty much consistent in all the positions. Like all Indian batsmen, he loved the Indian wickets as he notched up all his centuries in India against the likes of South Africa, England and Australia.

The rollicking double century versus Australia at Sydney in 1992 is the first thing one recalls when asked about Shastri’s Test career. To be precise, he has 7 out of 11 Test centuries in overseas conditions. He was equally potent at all places considering the rigours of Test Cricket. The 1983 World Cup winning member was an indispensable part of the team for a reason.

Though he moved up the batting ladder in the second half of his career, his range of strokes wasn’t questionable and the astounding part was that he only got better with age. The stats below only shows the invincibility of the individual in international cricket.

One Day Internationals

Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	86	1373	27.46	0	73*
1 to 5	64	1735	30.43	4	109
Tests
Position	Matches	Runs	Average	Centuries	Highest
6 and below	51	2063	36.19	6	142
1 to 5	34	1767	35.34	5	206