5 ODI Legends who had a less successful career in Test Cricket

It is really tough for a cricket player to expertise in all the formats of the game. The advent of ODI cricket, and then T20 cricket, meant that the style of play of the players also underwent a huge change. While there are still a lot of players who adjust their style of play according to the format they are playing in, there are many others who have incorporated their aggressive batting style in the longest format as well.

Anyhow, playing Test cricket for their team is the ultimate dream of every young cricketer in the world. However, there are some players, like Rohit Sharma, Martin Guptill, and Aaron Finch, who, despite being well-established players in the shorter format, have failed so far to solidify their place in the Test team.

This thing is not new to the world of cricket, however. Even in the past, the cricketing world has seen players who were match winning members of their team in the ODI squad but failed to capitalize on the opportunities they were given in the longest format. After listing 5 Test legends who failed in the Shorter Format, here are 5 such players who, despite being ODI legends, were less successful in Test Cricket.

Ajay Jadeja (India)

India's original Finisher.

Unofficially regarded as the original Finisher of the Indian team in ODI Cricket, Ajay Jadeja was inarguably the most important cricketer in the Indian ODI line-up, after Sachin Tendulkar, in the 1990s.

In his International career that lasted 8 years, Jadeja played 196 matches for the Indian team and compiled a grand total of 5,359 runs at an average of 37.47. His knocks at the top of the order and at the tail end of the innings won plenty of matches for the team.

Always labelled as an ODI specialist, Jadeja failed to solidify his place in India's squad in the longest format despite being the vice-captain in ODIs.

Underwhelming performances in the opportunities that he was given and the emergence of a new breed of cricketer meant that Jadeja's test career only lasted for 15 matches, in which he only managed 576 runs at a disappointing average of only 26.18.

Eoin Morgan (England)

The current Skipper of England's Limited Overs Team.

It would be an understatement to call Eoin Morgan one of the best English batsmen in recent times. Before the emergence of the likes of Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, and Alex Hales, he was the undisputed king of England's ODI batting.

After spending his early International days with Ireland, Morgan made it to the English team in 2009, performed sensationally, was made the skipper just 5 years later in 2014, and has not looked back ever since.

In his 208 ODI match career, Morgan represented England in 185 matches and scored a grand total of 5618 runs at a healthy average of 37.94 and strike rate of over 91. A regular place in the test squad, however, eluded him throughout his career.

Despite being in the ODI team for 9 years now, Morgan last played a test match in 2012 as he was dropped after just 16 test matches due to lack of performance. In those appearances, Morgan scored only 700 runs at a rather low average of only 30. Considering that England have a settled Test team, it is highly unlikely he will ever make it to the playing XI again.

Shane Watson (Australia)

Watto last played for Australia in 2016

Making his debut back in 2002, Shane Watson played through the Golden Era of Australia cricket and established himself as the premier all-rounder in the world, let alone his own country, in the later years of his career.

With his ability to take wickets at vital intervals and his excellent stroke play, Watson became a cornerstone of the Australian team in the years post the 2007 World Cup and at one point, became the best ODI and T20I all-rounder in the whole world.

In his 14 year international career, Watson played 190 ODIs for Australia, scored 5,757 runs at an average of 40.54, had a highest score of 185* and took 168 wickets at an average of only 31. Based on his figures, Watson is easily the best all-rounder produced by Australia. But, only in ODI cricket.

Because, despite being a part of the Australian Test squad for almost 10 years, Watson never achieved equal success in Test cricket. His record of 3,731 runs at an average of just 35 in 59 test matches just pales in comparison to his ODI record, especially considering that he either played as an opener or at #3 in Test.

His disappointing bowling record (75 wickets in 59 matches) also didn't bode well for the longevity of his test career.

Yuvraj Singh (India)

The Prince of Indian Cricket.

I am pretty sure that the name Yuvraj Singh needs no introduction. One of the greatest ODI batsman to have ever played cricket for India, Yuvi was a permanent member of the Indian ODI team for more than 17 years and was instrumental in a number of wins for the team.

The protagonist of India's victorious campaign in the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj's explosive batting and his partnership breaking bowling was the backbone of Indian team throughout the first decade of 2010s, and became an inspiration for a generation of people after his return to cricket following his cancer treatment.

One of the only five Indians to play 300+ ODIs for India, Yuvi scored 8,701 runs in 304 matches at an average of 36.54 while also taking 111 vital wickets with the ball in hand. The only thing that he failed to achieve in his career - A regular place in the Test squad.

Playing his first test match in 2003, 3 years after his ODI debut, Yuvraj always failed to capitalize on the opportunities he was given, which reduced his Test career to a mere 40 matches. In those matches, he scored only 1,900 runs at a rather low average of 33.92 and played his last test match in 2012.

Michael Bevan (Australia)

The Best Finisher in the History of ODI Cricket.

Before MS Dhoni, Michael Hussey and way before Jos Buttler, there was a man who became a legend of the game by winning games for his team from unimaginable situations and was the best ODI batsman of his time - Australian legend Michael Bevan.

Part of the famed Australian team that ruled the ODI Cricket for the better part of early 2000s, Bevan, although not as prolific run scorer as Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, was more important than any other player in the Australian team, something that is very well reflected in the record that he boasts as an ODI player.

Between 1994 and 2004, Bevan was a permanent member of the ODI team, playing 232 matches in that period. Scoring 6,912 runs at a record average of 53.58, Bevan acted as the pillar of Australia's lower order during that glorious period. Despite that, he never succeeded in solidifying his place in the Test line up.

With a plethora of other players performing on a regular basis, Bevan's test career was cut short to only 18 Tests, the last of which he played in 1998 against South Africa. His statistics in the longest format - 785 runs at an average of 29.07 - do not present the right image of the player that he was at his prime.