All-time combined India-New Zealand ODI XI

#4 Martin Crowe

Martin Crowe batted with such great elegance that few others could match

Martin Crowe who passed away this year after a long battle with Cancer was elegance personified with the willow and became the yardstick against which today’s leading Kiwi batsmen like Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson will be compared when they hang up their boots.

In the history of New Zealand’s cricket, Crowe’s place as the greatest ever batsman in both formats of the game is unrivalled. In a relatively weak team that boasted of no other magnificent batsman apart from himself, Crowe was a batting virtuoso. For more than a decade, he remained the lynch-pin of the Kiwi batting line-up.

Crowe was not just a supremely elegant batsman - he was a very fine captain too. He played a stellar role in New Zealand’s phenomenal success in the 1992 World cup. He was the best batsman in the tournament and ended it as the leading run scorer with a tally of 456 runs.

His innovative captaincy propelled New Zealand to semi-finals who looked good to storm into the finals until they were stunned by the young Inzamam-Ul-Haq’s blazing 60 off 37 balls. He pioneered the idea of opening the bowling with off-spinner which is so common today, especially in T20 cricket.

His ODI Strike Rate of 72 may seem low by today’s standards but it is impressive considering that many of his contemporary greats scored at around the same rate. For his silken stroke-play, it is hard to leave Crowe out of the side.