Rating the 10 best Test batsmen of the decade

It’s been a decade where batting has got difficult in Test cricket. With pitches being a lot more result-oriented and bowlers having their say, batsmen have struggled at times. But there have been a few batsmen who have come out on top and dominated as well.

The last 10 years have been about big retirements and players coming in to fill that void. The likes of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and other big Indian batsmen bid adieu to the game while the likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and the others have come in to fill in the big shoes.

Same way, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and that batch of Sri Lankan batsmen have also hung up their boots.  Similarly, the likes of Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, AB de Villiers and other big superstars have bid adieu to the game.

However, they all played a part in Test cricket in this decade. Thus, as the 2010s-decade comes to an end, we look back and rate the top 10 Test batsmen:

10. Cheteshwar Pujara

In a decade or rather era where slam-bang cricket has been the trend, Cheteshwar Pujara has made a name for himself by blocking opponents out. His game is largely based on his defence where he blocks most of the deliveries at the start of his innings. However, once he gets his eye in and tires the bowlers, Pujara cashes in.

The current India Test No. 3 made his debut in October 2010 against Australia and scored a quick 72 helping India to chase down 207 on the final day. Once Rahul Dravid bid adieu to the game, Pujara filled in the big void and showed great temperament which drew comparisons with ‘The Wall’.

However, there were ups and downs throughout the decade for Pujara. He was even dropped from the side on a couple of instances, only to come back with a bang. In this decade, he has scored 5740 runs at an average of 49.48 which includes 18 tons. Moreover, Pujara has faced more than 12,000 deliveries in Test cricket.