India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has warned that the modern cricket calendar is making it increasingly difficult for players to feature across Tests, One‑Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty‑20 Internationals (T20Is). In an interview with broadcaster JioStar in September, Gambhir said that while continuity across formats is ideal, “there are going to be very few all‑format players going forward.” The comment comes amid a packed schedule that sees multiple Indian squads competing in overlapping tournaments and series.
Overlapping commitments strain player availability
In the first week of October, two Indian teams were active on different continents. One side was stationed in Japan to defend the gold medal in the Asian Games T20 competition, while another began preparations for the 2025 ODI World Cup with a home series against the West Indies in southern Africa. At the same time, India‑A faced Australia‑A in a four‑day match in Puducherry, and a Rest of India XI, featuring six current internationals, contested the Irani Cup against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar. The dispersion of talent across four concurrent fixtures left many all‑format players juggling commitments.
Later in the month, India will embark on a demanding tour of New Zealand that includes five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. In addition to the senior squad’s white‑ball program, an India‑A contingent that includes K. L. Rahul and Dhruv Jurel will play three red‑ball matches to acclimatise to New Zealand conditions ahead of the Tests. The itinerary allows only a three‑day gap between the final ODI and the first Test, leaving little room for rest or transition between formats.
Players caught in the cross‑fire
Among Indian batters, Shubman Gill has been the sole player to appear in all three formats over the past twelve months. Gill captained India in a Test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad just three days after the Asia Cup final against Pakistan in Dubai. Despite his versatility, he was dropped from the T20I squad ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup as his strike rate of 138.59 was deemed insufficient compared to the explosive starts offered by Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and the emerging Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The rapid evolution of T20 tactics, combined with a congested schedule, has pushed even a player of Gill’s calibre toward specialization.
Globally, only a handful of cricketers have managed to maintain a presence in all three formats since the start of 2024. Travis Head (Australia), Harry Brook (England), Shubman Gill (India) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh) each have featured in more than 20 Tests, 20 ODIs and 20 T20Is during that period. Brook, who also captains England’s white‑ball side, balances a hectic calendar that includes both leadership duties and a central role in the Test team.
Fast bowlers face an even steeper challenge. Jasprit Bumrah (India) and Jofra Archer (England) are both recognised for their pace and swing, yet injuries have limited their availability, prompting their boards to manage them carefully and reserve them for high‑profile matches. Australia’s pace trio—Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins—have historically shouldered the workload across formats, helping the team claim ICC titles in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. Starc retired from T20Is last year, and the remaining duo are approaching the latter stages of their careers, signalling a potential decline in the pool of all‑format pacers.
Implications for the future of versatility
The shift toward format‑specific specialists could alter the sport’s narrative. Legendary figures such as Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Akram and Glenn McGrath once thrived in both Test and limited‑overs cricket when the international calendar consisted only of those two formats. The advent of T20 cricket, with its distinct skill set and relentless pace, has added a third dimension that demands additional adaptability.
Gambhir’s earlier ambition, when he assumed the head‑coach role in July 2024, was to keep in‑form players involved across all formats without resorting to workload management. Experience over the ensuing months, however, has led him to acknowledge that “you will have to keep rotating your players, whether it is spinners or fast bowlers,” and that “for Test preparation, you will have to give your batters breaks as well from white‑ball cricket.”
Domestic and international stakeholders must decide whether to preserve the allure of all‑format greatness or to accept a future where versatility is the exception rather than the rule. The continued success of multi‑format stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma—both now focusing primarily on ODIs as they approach retirement—will be a key barometer. If the current trend persists, the cricketing universe may witness the gradual disappearance of the all‑format cricketer, leaving the sport to evolve around format‑specific specialists.
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