Cricket, like life, is a great leveller, and even the most accomplished players suffer bad patches – a look at some of modern cricket’s finest Test batsmen, who went through poor runs at some point during their careers.

It’s obviously not an exhaustive list, but it contains Test cricket’s who’s who, all of whom suffered noticeable rough patches either in a particular calendar year or a season.

Alastair Cook (2010)

10 innings, 226 runs @ 22.60, 1 100, 0 50s, HS: 110

By the start of the series against Bangladesh and Pakistan in 2010, Cook had already amassed over 4,000 runs and averaged over 44. The average came down to 42 after two forgettable series against the two Asian countries at home.

After managing a best of 29 in three innings against Bangladesh, Cook’s first five innings against Pakistan yielded just 47 runs. With the Ashes not far away, there were even whispers of possible replacements for him, but he struck form soon, scoring a century at The Oval against Pakistan. By the time the Ashes came, Cook was a different batsman altogether.

Kumar Sangakkara (2003/04)

12 innings, 277 runs @ 25.18, 1 50, HS: 71

Sangakkara took time to create an impact in his Test career, but once he did, he became the driving force of the side’s batting for years. In 2003/04 though, runs dried up suddenly: after a fifty against England in Galle, Sangakkara went the next ten innings without a fifty.

He managed starts, with six of those scores being between 20 and 40, but found it difficult to score big, batting everywhere from 1-5 in that period. Surprisingly, all those games came at home. Having not scored a century for over two years, Sangakkara bounced back strongly soon after, smashing 270 against Zimbabwe.

Michael Clarke (2010/11)

13 innings, 228 runs @ 17.53, 1 50, HS: 80

Clarke’s career had some spectacular years, but there were also bits of extended lean patches, one of which came right at the end of his career. In the middle, too, Clarke struggled with his form, going through the India tour and the 2010 Ashes without anything significant next to his name.

Six years after his memorable debut in India, Clarke’s 2010 tour to the same country was largely forgettable, with 35 runs in the four innings he played. His long-standing back issues compounded his problems, and the Ashes that followed also saw him gasp for runs. In nine innings, Clarke managed a best of 80, managing to cross 20 in only one of the other innings.

Ricky Ponting (2000/01)

13 innings, 259 runs @ 23.54, 2 50s, HS: 80

Ponting was earmarked to be a superstar quite early in his career, but a sudden rut in 2000/01 threatened to slow down his ascent. After a vital 92 against West Indies in Adelaide, Ponting just couldn’t get going for the next three months, managing just one more fifty in his next ten innings.

The India tour of 2001 was perhaps the biggest low: Ponting managed a best of 11 in five attempts, three of which were ducks. He carried the low form until the 2001 Leeds Test in the Ashes, where his 144 signalled the end of the poor run.

Sachin Tendulkar (2006)

13 innings, 335 runs @ 27.91, 1 100, 0 50s, HS: 109

In a long and great career, Tendulkar had a couple of extended poor patches, including one in 2006, which came right after his tennis-elbow woes. The period contained his record 35th Test hundred, which took him past Sunil Gavaskar’s tally, but the next 11 innings saw him garner zero fifties.

The period ranged across Test series against Pakistan and England, and he managed a high score of 34 in them. He slowly got back to form in South Africa, but couldn’t score a century until mid-2007.

AB de Villiers (2006/07)

12 innings, 150 runs @ 13.63, 0 5os, HS: 47

This was before de Villiers really unfurled his potential at international level. Back-to-back Test series against India and Pakistan saw him score no fifties in 12 innings, with only one score of over 25. It was also a time when de Villiers was shunted up and down the order, and either opened the batting or featured at six or seven.

Things got better after series against Pakistan and West Indies, but it wasn’t until January 2008 that he managed to cross the three-figure mark again, the first time in three years.

Brian Lara (1996)

9 innings, 226 runs @ 25.11, HS: 74

Not long after he had compiled three centuries in England inside a month, Lara suddenly suffered a loss of form in subsequent series. The start of 1996 signalled the start of a rough patch; after a couple of starts and a fifty, Lara managed no fifties the whole year.

The first half of the Australia tour was the toughest: in six innings across three Tests, Lara could only manage single figures. It was only in early 1997 that he turned things around, scoring 78 in Adelaide, and following it with a glorious 132 in Perth.

Virat Kohli (2014)

10 innings, 134 runs @ 13.40, HS: 39

Kohli’s most discernible lean patch came in the summer of 2014 when a trip to England gave him a cruel reality check of his Test inadequacies. The English seamers, specifically James Anderson, targetted the nagging off-stump line, and Kohli regularly fell prey. He managed 134 runs in ten innings, managing not more than 39, and garnering six single-digit scores.

The setback was compensated well in Australia, when Kohli turned a new leaf in his career, becoming the new Test captain and scoring four centuries down under.

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