The cricketers take great delight in being able to open the game for their country. In ODI cricket, there have been multiple occasions when a player has opened for both bowling and batting in the same match for India. There have been instances when part-time bowlers have been asked to open the bowling and others when an all-rounder or a bowler has begun the innings for India.
5 Cricketers Who Batted And Bowled At The Same Time In The Same Match
In this article, we will look at 5 Indian cricketers who have not only opened the bowling but also the batting for their country. Take a peek at:
Roger Binny (2 One-Day Internationals):
Roger Binny, a former Indian cricketer, was recognised for his superb swing bowling. In 72 matches for India, Roger Binny showed 77 batsmen the way to the pavilion with his superb bowling. During the 1983 World Cup, Roger Binny was again the highest scorer for India.
Binny has opened both bat and ball in both ODIs. Binny scored 31 runs in one encounter but only 21 in the other. Binny’s opening partner in both matches was India’s Sunil Gavaskar.
Manoj Prabhakar (45 One-Day Internationals):
Manoj Prabhakar, an Indian all-rounder, was a vital member of Team India in the 1990s. With both bat and ball, Manoj had the ability to win the game for his team.
Manoj Prabakar played 130 One-Day Internationals in his career, 45 of which he opened with both bat and ball, which are both Indian records. His ODI career, however, came to a halt when he was suspended from the game for spot-fixing.
Read also 5 Cricketers who won the Player of the Match award for fielding
Irfan Pathan (1 One-Day International):
Irfan Pathan’s arrival into the game in 2003 put an end to India’s search for an all-rounder. Irfan Pathan has been a swashbuckling batsman for India, batting at number three. The Baroda all-rounder also opened the innings in a match staged in Kolkata in 2005, but the choice backfired as Pathan failed to open his account. In addition, Irfan Pathan failed to take early wickets with the ball, while India as a team lost by 10 wickets.
Virender Sehwag (1 One-Day International):
Virender Sehwag, a former Indian cricketer who began his career as a middle-order batsman, is widely regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen to have ever represented his country. In the year 2005, Sourav Ganguly, India’s captain, asked Virender Sehwag to open the game against Australia. Early in the innings, he was also presented as the off-spinner Sehwag.
However, things did not go well for Team India, as he was removed for a duck on the first ball. This was the first time Team India opened the bowling and batting in the same match.
Kapil Dev (1 One-Day International):
Kapil Dev, a former Indian cricketer, is without a doubt the best all-rounder India has ever produced. Kapil Dev is widely considered to be India’s greatest all-rounder. He is recognised as one of the best single-handed batsmen and bowlers in the world.
During the 1992 World Cup, Kapil Dev batted first with Krishnachari Srikkanth and also bowled the opening over.
