5 limited-overs stars who are not made for Test cricket

There’s often talk about Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Joe Root and a few others and how they are successful in all three formats of the game. The way they adapt to different formats is simply remarkable. The ability to score consistently irrespective of the format has made the best in the world.

However, this seems to be a white-ball driven era and hence, there are cricketers who haven’t been able to find their feet in red-ball cricket. They’ve been star players in the shorter formats but have failed to deliver in Test cricket. Hence, here we look at five such cricketers who have been a hit in white-ball cricket but don’t seem to be made for Test cricket.

1. Rohit Sharma

It was back in 2007 and 2008 when a 20-year-old Rohit Sharma strode out for India in white-ball cricket to face stern tests. Be it the World T20 in South Africa or the CB Series in Australia in 2007-08, Rohit showed that he has the talent, the temperament and the game to overcome the toughest challenges.

However, for the first six years in international cricket, he flattered to deceive. There were flashes of brilliance but there was more disappointment as he failed to cash in when he got regular opportunities. However, once he started opening the batting, things turned upside down for the Mumbaikar. No other opener is as successful as Rohit in ODI cricket since 2013 (be it runs, average or hundreds). He is one of the best white-ball players going around.

But he hasn’t made it big in the longest format of the game. A freak injury on the morning of a Test match at Eden Gardens in 2010 postponed his Test debut by three and a half years. He finally made his Test debut at the same venue in November 2013 and started with a bang. However, since then he hasn’t been able to live up to the hype and expectation.

Rohit has often been guilty of throwing his wicket away. Moreover, he has struggled big time on overseas tours, on tricky surfaces. Hence, it doesn’t seem the 32-year-old is made for Test cricket. While he is churning out excellent numbers in white-ball cricket, he hasn’t been able to do the same or come anywhere close in Test cricket.