5 most genuine Test-only players of all time

They say that you can’t judge a book by its cover. To know whether a book is solid, one must read it and only then can a verdict be put in place. However, to read a whole book, one need patience—that in itself is a perfect test to evaluate the character of a person.

In this time of internet, where social media has become one of the greatest source of distraction, book-readers are decreasing by the day. People are more interested in watching a movie based on a book than read the book itself.

The analogy here is that the number of viewers of Test cricket is falling at a similar rate, thanks to the surge of T20 cricket. People, especially the younger ones, are more inclined towards the shortest format of the game and the glory of Test cricket isn’t as shining as it used to be.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that Test cricket is real cricket. Like you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t rate a player’s caliber by only his T20 performances—it is his displays in the longest format of the game that depicts true ability.

The documentary Death of a Gentleman explores if Test cricket is dying. Here's a trailer of the movie:

Some players are just born to play Test cricket. Their performances in the other formats leave a point of doubt, but in Tests, they were/are the best at what they do. Without further ado, let's take a look at the 5 most genuine Test players of all time:

[PLEASE NOTE: The list has players who excelled in Tests, but failed to perform as well in the shorter formats]

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Shivnarine Chanderpaul

If a list of the most underrated players is made, he would make it to every one of them. In a time when people only laud the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara and so on, most don’t even mention his name while discussing the greatest Test players.

Indeed, even his own country’s cricket board couldn’t show him the respect that he so deserved. But for what it is worth, he is a cricketing legend in his own right.

And the numbers speak for themselves. With an average of 51.37 in 280 innings, he scored 11867 runs while scoring 30 centuries in the process—carving his name among the best ever West Indian players.

VVS Laxman

How many times has this man won India games from the direst of situations? The Hyderabadi batting legend was a maestro with the willow in hand. His unorthodox batting style and unparalleled temperament made him a favourite among the fans.

Coming in an at number 6 for India at Tests, he almost often found himself in the shadows and seldom got a chance to show his true ability because of the likes of Sehwag, Ganguly, Sachin and Dravid batting before him.

And when he did, it was almost always when India were in trouble—obviously, since he came in after the star batsmen were out—he almost always bailed them out.

Despite batting at number 6 for India, he got to play in 225 innings and scored 8781 runs in the process. His average of 45.97 is a testament to the legend that he is.

Alastair Cook

He just needs 36 runs more to become the youngest cricketer ever to reach 10000 runs in Test—breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record that stood for around 12 years.

The Englishman made his debut against Sachin’s India—in a game where he scored a century in the second innings. That innings was a sign of things to come and he has never looked back since then. Right now, he is one of the leaders of the team, someone who everyone looks up to while he is on the crease.

In 226 innings, he has 9964 runs with an average of 46.56 while scoring 28 centuries in the process. He still has a lot of years ahead of him and will definitely go down as a legend even before he hangs up his boots.

Justin Langer

In a team that dominated the world for over a decade, Justin Langer was the first choice opener for Australia in Tests—making the legendary Gilchrist bat at number 6 in the process. That alone goes to show the ability he had with the bat in his hand.

He might not have been as effective in any other format, but it wasn’t necessary—he was the perfect Test batsmen for the team and he almost always delivered.

His average of 45.27 after 182 innings is a testament to that fact. Scoring 7696 runs in his entire career, he had a best score of 250 in the longest format of the game was one of its greatest exponents.

Geoffrey Boycott

Our generation will remember him for his outstanding voice in the commentary box. However, as a player, he was perhaps even better—at least in Test cricket.

When his mind was set on staying in, there was almost no delivery that could get him out—such was his defensive technique. It was this ability that made it feel like he was born to play only this format of the game.

His stats are just as fine. In an era where West Indian pacers scared the living hell out of batsmen, he scored 8114 runs in 193 innings with an average of 47.72. He also has 22 hundreds and 42 half-centuries under his name.

You can watch Death of a Gentleman for Rs. 99/- exclusively on TVFPlay here: http://bit.ly/DOAGOnTVFPlay (This movie is available only in India)