Every cricketer dreams of winning matches for his/her team. Some are successful in doing so. But a player’s career is usually judged by the performances over a period of time. A metric that is usually used is the number of game-defining moments a player has over the course of a series. It requires consistency and commitment, a thing that requires a lot of hard work.
Playing for India is even harder. Every single innings or a spell will be judged by the media and the fans alike. There will be a lot of noise from the outside and the players need to zone out. It takes a toll on the cricketers but the ones who thrive under the pressure come out on top.
To flourish in a single format is an achievement but to pull it off in all three formats needs high levels of skill and determination. Not a lot of Indian cricketers have managed to do so, apart from the following players.
Here are the three Indian players who have won the ‘Player of the Series’ award in all the formats:
1) Virat Kohli
It doesn’t come as a surprise that the Indian talismanic batsman has achieved this stunning feat. Virat Kohli had a rather sedate start to his career. Once he gained enough exposure, Kohli took the bull by its horns. Always aggressive on the field, he was passionate and as a captain, Kohli instilled a winning mindset in the Indian team.
Virat Kohli has won the Player of the Series award 19 times in total, second only to Sachin Tendulkar (20). He has been the best in Tests thrice while winning 9 in ODI’s and 7 in T20I’s. The right-handed batsman has not just been India’s but perhaps the world’s best batsman in all three formats in the last decade.
2) Rohit Sharma
Another colossal figure pivotal in India’s rise to the top across formats is Rohit Sharma. He was the Men in Blue’s designated opener in white-ball formats before making the Test spot his own as well. Now, apart from Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit is the only constant in all three formats for India.
Rohit won the Player of the Series award against South Africa in Tests when they toured India in 2019. He scored centuries in both innings of the first Test, before making a double century in the third. He has also won five Player of the Series awards in ODI’s along with one in T20I’s. Notably, he has scored four centuries in T20I’s, the most in the world.
3) Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar is the latest Indian cricketer to win the Player of the series award across all formats. The swing king from Uttar Pradesh has mesmerized many batsmen with his accuracy and ability to move the ball in the air. On his international debut in a T20I against Pakistan, he took astounding figures of 3/9 in four overs. Following this performance, his success for India was imminent.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar earned the Player of the Series award in Tests during India’s tour of England in 2014. Although India lost the series 1-3, Bhuvneshwar had a breakout tour. Prior to that in 2013, he won the award in ODI’s during the Tri-Nation tournament held in West Indies. In 2018 when India toured South Africa, Bhuvi shined in the T20I’s scalping seven wickets including a five-wicket haul to win the Player of the Series trophy.
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