All-time combined India-New Zealand ODI XI

#8 Richard Hadlee

Richard Hadlee was an all-rounder par excellence

Sir Richard Hadlee formed one-quarter of the ‘golden quartet of the all-rounders’ that enthralled the cricket lovers throughout the 1980s with their incredible all-round feats. As a bowler, he was the deadliest of the quartet which comprised Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Kapil Dev among others.

Bowling was his primary strength and as a batsman, he was the least effective of the four although he was decent. Hadlee possessed enough batting muscle to often score some useful runs lower down the order and buttress the team’s weak batting lineup.

Overall, he was an all-rounder of superhuman ability. Until his retirement, Hadlee remained the mainstay of the Kiwi bowling lineup in both tests and ODIs around whom lesser mortals like Evan Chatfield operated. Hadlee’s place as the greatest player in the pantheon of New Zealand greats finds no competitors. When Hadlee had his last hurrah in the international arena in 1990, he was also test cricket’s highest wicket taker.

Purely on the strength of his bowling alone, Hadlee can walk into most teams in the world on any day and the fact that he can bat too makes him indispensable for the ‘combined XI.’ He is a player any captain would love to have in his team.