What would a current Asian Test XI look like based on form?
For this XI, we have considered gross records, irrespective of opposition and venue, between January 1, 2023 and today (August 27, 2024). For batters with 500 runs – with separate groups for openers and middle-order batters – the ones with the best averages have been picked, as has been the best batter among the wicketkeepers.
For fast bowlers, the cut-off has been kept to 15 wickets and for spinners, 20 wickets (since they play as much in Asia as they do away, spinners have taken more wickets for these sides), then sorted by bowling average. The method automatically picked two all-rounders, while the No.9 can bat as well.
Yashasvi Jaiswal: 1,028 runs @ 68.53, 3 hundreds
In July 2023, Jaiswal made his presence felt in Test cricket with 172 and 57 on Test debut. After an ordinary outing in the low-scoring series in South Africa, he made 712 runs with two double-hundreds against England.
Dimuth Karunaratne: 905 runs @ 53.23, 2 hundreds
Karunaratne’s average is slightly boosted by his 179 and 115 against Ireland in April 2023, but he also made 50, 89, and 51 in the span of four innings in Wellington before that, while his 52 and 86 were important in Sri Lanka’s triumph in Bangladesh.
Near miss: Rohit Sharma (1,000 runs @ 43.47, 4 hundreds)
Saud Shakeel: 653 runs @ 65.30, 3 hundreds
An ordinary series in Australia did not offset Shakeel’s mammoth scores – particularly consecutive unbeaten innings of 125 and 208 in 2023. A 141 against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi put him back to scoring ways.
Dhananjaya de Silva (c): 793 runs @ 61.00, 3 hundreds | 1 wicket
Before his twin hundreds in Sylhet in March 2024, de Silva had made 122, 82, 57 in consecutive innings against Pakistan at home in July 2023. He has also started his England tour on a high, with 74 at Old Trafford.
Mushfiqur Rahim: 546 runs @ 68.25, 2 hundreds
Despite not having kept wicket in Test cricket since 2019, Mushfiqur makes to this XI on batting alone. Before the 191 against Pakistan in Bangladesh’s famous triumph was the 67 in the low-scoring Test against New Zealand in a win in Sylhet.
Near misses: Virat Kohli (729 runs @ 52.07, 2 hundreds), Angelo Mathews (734 runs @ 43.17, 2 hundreds)
Mohammad Rizwan (wk): 415 runs @ 83.00, 1 hundred | 10 catches
Rizwan is the only wicketkeeper with 300 runs over this period; he also has the highest average. He did make 171 not out and 51 in the recent Rawalpindi Test, but his run in Australia – 42, 35, 88, 28 – was perhaps just as impressive.
Near miss: Dhruv Jurel (190 runs @ 63.33)
Ravindra Jadeja: 513 runs @ 34.20, 1 hundred | 52 wickets @ 21.46, 3 5WIs
The only cricketer to do the 500 run-50 wicket double in this phase, Jadeja had 17 wickets in the first two Tests against Australia in 2023. If his bowling took a marginal hit in 2024, he more than made up with the bat, with 87 and 112 in consecutive Tests against England.
R Ashwin: 266 runs @ 17.73 | 67 wickets @ 20.04, 6 5WIs
Only Nathan Lyon has more than Ashwin’s 67 wickets since January 1, 2023, while no other bowler has more than half of his six five-wicket hauls. The batting might have tailed off a bit, but there was a fifty in Port of Spain and four consecutive cameos against England at home.
Aamir Jamal: 143 runs @ 28.60 | 18 wickets @ 20.44, 2 5WIs
Last December, Jamal broke into Test cricket with 6-111 on debut, at Perth. At Melbourne, he got 3-64 and 2-74. And at Sydney, 6-69 and an astonishing 82 not out, where Pakistan made only 97 during his stay at the crease. It was as emphatic a start as any recent Test cricketer’s.
Jasprit Bumrah: 31 wickets @ 15.35, 2 5WIs
As is almost always the case, Bumrah has broken through irrespective of the filters used. If his 12 wickets at 12.91 in South Africa can be, at least partly, attributed to the pitch, the 19 wickets at home against England at 16.89 were an act of pure class.
Shoriful Islam: 17 wickets @ 25.58
Shoriful has taken three wickets only once in his 12 innings since the start of 2023, but he has never gone wicketless, which speaks volumes of his consistency. He has often provided the early breakthrough, paving the way for the spinners. However, if the pitch assists the spinners, Kuldeep Yadav (19 wickets @ 20.15, 1 5WI) will get the nod.
Current Asian Test XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Dimuth Karunaratne
Saud Shakeel
Dhananjaya de Silva
Mushfiqur Rahim
Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
Ravindra Jadeja
R Ashwin
Aamir Jamal
Jasprit Bumrah
Shoriful Islam
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
