Are all-format batters going extinct?

There was a time, not very long ago, when no matter the format India were playing, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were effervescent and ever-present.

- Ashish Magotra

England captain Harry Brook during the World Cup match against Italy at the Eden Gardens.

(PTI FILE)

They could lord it over five days of Test cricket, waltz through the 100 overs of an ODI and turn it up for a Twenty20 match.

They weren't alone either. Around the world, South Africa's AB de Villiers, Australia’s David Warner, New Zealand's Kane Williamson and a few others were doing the same or trying to do it. To some, all-format success defined greatness in the modern era.

To be able to straddle all three formats successfully was not for the meek. It required mental strength and a drive that increasingly few cricketers (and even fewer batters) have.

Take for instance, the Indian team that is playing the T20 World Cup. Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube - good batters all but none of them get a look in for the Test team. Specialists, yes. All-format, no.

This isn’t a trend limited to India alone. While we still have many bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood hitting the right lengths across formats, the batters are struggling to do the same.