Best test batsmen from the list

[Fuller Pilch]

Ignore wicketkeeping and white ball batting etc., but who are/were the best at batting in tests? Choose the top three.


Was thinking of including Chandimal but thought he'd win easily and he's only kept in 26 out of 76 tests.

Edit: realised I'd forgotten Sarfaraz who is the best player of spin in the list.

 

[PlayerComparisons]

Pant

 

[ataraxia]

Great counting to three you lot

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Interesting results. Am really surprised that Blundell and Prior haven't received any votes yet. I think Pant is an extremely gifted ball striker but has more technical and shot selection deficiencies than a few on the list.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Interesting results. Am really surprised that Blundell and Prior haven't received any votes yet. I think Pant is an extremely gifted ball striker but has more technical and shot selection deficiencies than a few on the list.

I think people are overrating Pant quite a bit here mainly based on the Australia series..... He still has much room to improve, especially his temperament and shot selection; and so I am quite a bit surprised he has 5 times the votes of Dhoni and twice of de Kock.

 

[Coronis]

It helps he hasn’t played many tests, his record hasn’t had time to even out.

With the car crash if he does decline he’ll always be remembered (perhaps?) overfondly for what has already happened.

 

[trundler]

Pant has test tons in England, SA and Australia along with match winning knocks on minefields at home. He's already had more consequential knocks than anyone on this list so even if he sucks a bit after coming back he should maintain his lead. Also, he's the only one who's had to bat #5 regularly and he's done very well there. No one else had to step up and be a specialist batsman on top of being a keeper instead of just shouldering a keeper batsman's batting load i.e batting 6/7. De Kock sucked at anything above 7 from memory. Watling was gun at 6 and so is my runner up. I'm only considering how they batted whilst keeping.

 

[BazBall21]

As batters...

1) Pant
2) QDK
3) Bairstow
4) Blundell
5) Prior
6) Watling
7) Dhoni
8) Rizwan
9) Mushfiqur
10) Sarfaraz
11) Das

Good exercise. Well set up. I would like to see more polls like this where we choose three between ten-twelve and a couple of resulting ranking lists.

 

[BazBall21]

Think Pant is a class above the others.

 

[Flem274*]

Interesting results. Am really surprised that Blundell and Prior haven't received any votes yet. I think Pant is an extremely gifted ball striker but has more technical and shot selection deficiencies than a few on the list.

I think we (kiwis) asterisk him more than others because he played one of the worst innings ever seen on our shores, and was also pretty dumb in the WTC final.

Ultimately though it's hard to argue with results and him being shithouse in NZ is directly related to him being blockbuster in India and Australia.

He's not very batsmanish at all but then recent events have taught us that apparently all you had to do was bosh it all along and you'll either win or morally win.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I think people are overrating Pant quite a bit here mainly based on the Australia series..... He still has much room to improve, especially his temperament and shot selection; and so I am quite a bit surprised he has 5 times the votes of Dhoni and twice of de Kock.

There's some truth to Pant maybe in the future benefitting from a rose tinted view of his career if his batting declines in his comeback. But I don't think it can be overstated how incredible his batting has been so far. It's not just that he's scored hundreds on every overseas tour, but the quality of those innings and the context in which many of them came has been extraordinary. Removing the Australia runs entirely, he's scored a hundred in SA in an innings where no other Indian batsman crossed 29, a 146 in England when the team was 5 down for 98, and several classic counterattacks on some real rank turners on his home pitches. The fact that his purple patch came in the years where India's middle order was shambolic adds to it too.

I think comparing Pant vs Watling (who I rate very highly because he got tough runs too but got them in a very different way) is a very hard debate, but compared to someone like Dhoni or even de kock I don't think the lack of longevity matters. He's produced at a significantly higher level of batsmanship than either managed imo.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I think we (kiwis) asterisk him more than others because he played one of the worst innings ever seen on our shores, and was also pretty dumb in the WTC final.

Ultimately though it's hard to argue with results and him being ****house in NZ is directly related to him being blockbuster in India and Australia.

He's not very batsmanish at all but then recent events have taught us that apparently all you had to do was bosh it all along and you'll either win or morally win.

Think his best innings was actually the ton in SA tbh. Really difficult pitch and it looked like no other Indian batsman had a clue.

He plays his fair share of very reckless shots no doubt, but many of his best innings begin with a slow-ish start where he tries to get through a tough period by working the ball into gaps. He goes nuts later.

 

[capt_Luffy]

There's some truth to Pant maybe in the future benefitting from a rose tinted view of his career if his batting declines in his comeback. But I don't think it can be overstated how incredible his batting has been so far. It's not just that he's scored hundreds on every overseas tour, but the quality of those innings and the context in which many of them came has been extraordinary. Removing the Australia runs entirely, he's scored a hundred in SA in an innings where no other Indian batsman crossed 29, a 146 in England when the team was 5 down for 98, and several classic counterattacks on some real rank turners on his home pitches. The fact that his purple patch came in the years where India's middle order was shambolic adds to it too.

I think comparing Pant vs Watling (who I rate very highly because he got tough runs too but got them in a very different way) is a very hard debate, but compared to someone like Dhoni or even de kock I don't think the lack of longevity matters. He's produced at a significantly higher level of batsmanship than either managed imo.

I get your point and do agree that he really produced some excellent innings; but the reason I rate Dhoni is that I find him much more dependable..... You might say that it's being not based on stats, as truly he only has a single century outside India and one outside match saving innings to boot, and you may argue that his ODI record influenced the view to an extent, which actually is true. Dhoni don't have many super tough test runs, neither do de Kock; I just feel that I would be more confident with them batting for my side than Pant.

 

[capt_Luffy]

I would probably rank them as:
1. de Kock
2. Dhoni
3. Mushfiqur
4. Watling
5. Pant
6. Bairstow
7. Prior
8. Blundell
9. Rizwan
10. Das
11. Sarfaraz
Honestly, I should rate Pant higher based off his away runs; it's just he never gives me any confidence in him.

 

[Archer6K]

Why didn't you include Chandimal?

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Why didn't you include Chandimal?

Thought he was too good

 

[Fuller Pilch]

How has Tom Blundell got 0 votes??

He scored a test 100 in Australia when forced to open and averages 47 as keeper (just behind Gilchrist) and miles ahead of everyone on this list.

 

[BazBall21]

How has Tom Blundell got 0 votes??

He scored a test 100 in Australia when forced to open and averages 47 as keeper (just behind Gilchrist) and miles ahead of everyone on this list.

Sample size and has played mostly in his prime. But most in there certainly couldn't repeat his hundred in Australia opening against Cummins on a spicy pitch. He is a gun.

 

[Prince EWS]

How has Tom Blundell got 0 votes??

He scored a test 100 in Australia when forced to open and averages 47 as keeper (just behind Gilchrist) and miles ahead of everyone on this list.

He's been playing for about 30 seconds.

 

[Coronis]

He's been playing for about 30 seconds.

Like Bumrah then?