Top 10 Cricket Players Who Changed the Game

Cricket has been a worldwide phenomenon for centuries now. Throughout the years, the game has evolved and innovated into the sport we know and love today. 

Within this time, many teams and individual players have cemented their legacy as the best in the game. However, there are some players who were so good that they changed the ideals and perception of the game itself. 

From big names like Adam Gilchrist, who changed the very idea of wicket-keeping batsmen, to Virat Kohli, who gets crowds riled up every time he gets on the pitch, let’s take a look at 10 Cricket players that changed the game forever. 

10. W. G. Grace

[source: theguardian.com] 

How people perceive a sport is often one of the most important parts of it becoming popular. W. G. Grace may not ring any bells for most of us, but this English amateur batsman is the reason we look at cricket the way we do today. 

Grace was a right-handed all-rounder that played for various teams like the Gentlemen, London Country, South of England, and many more. Throughout his time as a cricketer, he is known to have amassed 54,000 runs off of 850 games which included 250 fifties and 120 hundreds. 

Although he was an extremely proficient batsman, he is known for changing Cricket from a simple pastime to a commercial sport. 

He kept up his career from 1865 to 1914, and by then, he was 66 years old. He is still remembered in Cricket circles across England for making the game look more accessible to the masses. 

9. Ranjitsinhji

[source: britannica.com] 

Ranjitsinhji was the ruler of the Indian Princely state of Nawanagar and a renowned test player in the English cricket team. He pioneered the Leg Glance and the Leg Cut, two moves that changed fielding forever. 

Ranji was an agile batsman with quick reflexes, which made him a tough nut to crack as far as Test matches were concerned. Using his keen eyes, he would also introduce back-foot defense into the game that many cricketers rely on today. 

His signature late cut also made fielding against him a nightmare, as before him, players would only use half the field. 

With these skills, he went on to score 154 runs on his debut match against Australia and become the first Indian to be celebrated for Cricket. It is after him that the Ranji Trophy was named, which is India’s Domestic First-class Cricket Championship. 

8. Adam Gilchrist

[source: cricket.com.au] 

Before Adam Gilchrist, wicketkeepers were the black sheep of a cricket team. Their role was mostly relegated to standing behind the stumps and waiting for the ball. However, with his entry into the sport, things would change drastically throughout cricket. 

Gilchrist is hailed as one of the greatest batsmen of his time, with a knack for danger and playing aggressively. No longer would he be a passive run-scorer as a wicketkeeper; he was the full show. 

His wicketkeeping skills were also surprising, as he was diving and jumping to catch the balls. He started off in the middle order but soon moved up to being the opener for Australia in International cricket. 

Throughout his career, he has scored 92 fifties, 35 hundreds, and even a single 200. He is an Australian icon that fans loved and rivals admired, and he left a significant mark on the sport by making wicketkeepers after him more agile and more dependable.

7. Wasim Akram

[source: indianexpress.com] 

Pace bowling is about speed. At least, that used to be the general consensus until Wasim Akram came into the role. Before him, pace bowlers were only judged on their speed, and things like swing and line length were not considered as important in English cricket. 

Akram would go on to perfect the art of swing bowling and become Pakistan’s greatest wicket-taker in the process. He would maintain a fine line between speed and swing which let him pass through Batsmen’s defenses almost at will. 

He became the first man ever to take 500 wickets in the ODI format, which cemented his legacy. 

Almost all of his balls had a swing to them, and the way he angled his fingers during bowling would later be used by many bowlers after him to great effect. Throughout his career, he maintained an economy of 3.9 in ODIs and 2.59 in Test matches. 

6. Jacques Kallis

[source: icc-cricket.com] 

All-rounders in cricket were deemed mediocre, and their benchmarks weren’t all that impressive until Jacques Kallis came into the picture. As a terrifying batsman and a skillful bowler, he raised the bar for all-rounders across the globe. 

Kalis had the perfect technique and a plethora of defensive strokes in his batting. Add to that his ability to dial things up and go on the attack, and you have an anchor that the entire South African team relied on. 

His front-foot cover drive was poetic, and he remains the only man to have scored more than 10,000 runs and taken over 250 wickets throughout his career. 

As a medium-fast seamer, he had constant swing and seam, making him unpredictable on the pitch. 

He also had the accuracy and power to generate terrifying bouncers that made batsmen reluctant to attack. Coming to fielding, he was athletic and took some of the most awe-inspiring catches ever seen in modern cricket. 

5. Kapil Dev

[source: britannica.com] 

Ask anybody who the powerhouse of cricket are, and they would have a hard time saying England. Although they have always commanded respect in the sport, Kapil Dev was the reason the power base of cricket shifted from the UK to India. 

Dev was an all-rounder that changed the trajectory of Indian Cricket forever. As a batsman, he was sharp and aggressive with powerful swings at a time before T20s. 

When bowling, he was regarded as the single most lethal outswinger to date, with 687 wickets to his name. His fielding abilities are unquestionable, too, with the backward running catch of Sir Vivian Richards imprinted onto cricket fans’ minds. 

As a leader, he always led by example both on and off the pitch, which garnered him a lot of support and admiration. Even today, cricket fans speculate on who was or would become the “next Kapil Dev”. Such was his impact on Indian Cricket that, to this day, it remains the most popular sport in India. 

4. Sanath Jayasuriya

[source: cricket.com.au] 

Often batting innings rely on the foundation that opening batsmen set. This, in turn, makes them cautious and unwilling to take risks and try to land bigger shots. Sanath Jayasuriya was one such opener, but he is remembered for his ability to land shots and score pivotal runs. 

The left-handed Sri Lankan batsman was a relatively timid starter during his early career, but that would change during the 1996 World Cup. 

With his exploits of the fielding restrictions bound to the first fifteen overs, Jayasuriya would become the most valuable player of the entire tournament. He was also a proficient spinner who took wickets regularly and had a medium economy be it T20s or ODIs. 

Following in his footsteps, many newer openers tend to bat aggressively and push through the bowlers and fielders, taking advantage of the fielding restrictions to score early runs. It went from being an astonishing sight to becoming very common, and you have Jayasuriya to thank for that. 

3. AB de Villiers

[source: theguardian.com] 

Traditionally Batsmen focus on the Off and Leg side, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, AB de Villiers came in and dominated the field all 360 degrees. His ability to make split-second decisions and play unconventional strikes made him a terrifying opponent for fielders across the world. 

For all his troubles, he also holds the record for the fastest century in ODI Cricket, so his ways definitely have merit. His uncanny ability to play shots behind him was what captivated people and made the Reverse scoop popular with daring batsmen. 

He had good defense, too, being able to transition straight from the late block to a check drive which let him bait bowlers in to set up his bigger strikes. 

He has hit 149 fifties, 50 centuries, and 2 double centuries throughout his career and scored more than 25,000 runs all throughout his career. Today, his strikes have taken T20 sessions by storm, with players from both India and West Indies attempting and being successful with his strikes. 

2. Virat Kohli

[source: icc-cricket.com] 

Few people would argue against the fact that Virat Kohli is hands down the best batsman currently playing cricket. Known as the “Chease Master,” his ability to consistently perform under pressure and squeeze out unbelievable victories makes him a dangerous opponent and a valuable asset to India. 

The hot-headed former captain of India was a devastating opener when he started off. His legacy as a dominant run-chaser would start with successfully chasing Sri Lanka’s target of 321 in the Tri-Series 2011-12. 

With that win in hand, Kohli would go on to brush up the Indian team as a formidable opponent in Test matches where the team had been lacking for decades. 

However, he is most known for his impeccable chases in T20 tournaments which have left players trying to imitate his batting. 

His unwavering focus and ability to handle pressure changed the course of the Indian team, which was headed towards mediocrity, to a young and energetic squad capable of International tours on a whim. 

1. Sir Vivian Richards

[source: windiescricket.com] 

Sir Vivian Richards was an incredibly ruthless batsman at a time when aggressive batsmen were nonexistent. During the early 70s, Richards made a name for himself not just in West Indies but also across the globe as the nightmare of bowlers. 

As the pioneer of aggressive batting, you bet he had some impressive scores to show. In his second test match, he scored 192 against India, and he still holds the record for the fastest century in a test match which he achieved just off of 56 balls. His destructive batting wasn’t his only strong suit, though, as he was the captain of West Indies for over 50 Tests, where they never lost a single one. 

Coming in at the middle order, his sheer presence made the crowd cheer and the bowlers nervous. His sheer presence on the field would also make fielders nervous as they couldn’t catch his shots, merely bringing the ball back from the boundaries. 

Being a very subjective list, we didn’t get the opportunity to mention others like Sir Don Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar, and Brian Lara, who were among the most exceptional players ever. 

However, we do believe that the players on this list have left such a remarkable impact on the sport that it has changed significantly with their presence. Their unparalleled skills, strategies, and innovative minds have shaped Cricket for future generations. 

They have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible and earned their spot as some of the most impactful players to have ever played Cricket. So their names will be etched into the sport’s history, and their contributions will be remembered by enthusiasts and players alike for centuries to come.