Since 2010, many men have caught eyeballs in Test arena, but only a few have played consistently good cricket. In a decade when many legends have already retired, these three years have had some new bright lights and have even seen some old horses speak.
The statistics:
| Name | Runs | Average | 100s |
| A.Cook | 2821 | 58.77 | 10 |
| J. Kallis | 2082 | 80.07 | 11 |
| K.Sangakkara | 2323 | 62.78 | 9 |
| H. Amla | 2188 | 72.93 | 8 |
| S.Tendulkar | 2500 | 59.72 | 8 |
Inarguably, these five are the best overall Test batsmen since 2010. But their numbers have been so amazingly good that picking one among these five is in itself a dilemma. Let us filter down the numero uno!
Studying deep: Highlights of their big innings.
Alastair Cook
2010: He scored heavily in Ashes with a double ton and two big hundreds. One ton against Bangla.
2011: An ashes ton. A 294 against India. Another ton against SL at Cardiff.
2012: Ton versus SA, Pak.
Jacques Kallis
2010: Prolific run-scoring against India at home. Score a ton against Pak.
2011: a century against Ind at home.
2012: Centuries against NZ, Eng, SL.
Sachin Tendulkar
2010: A double against Aus at home. A double in SL. A ton versus Bangla.
2011: The memorable Capetown century.
2012: Drought!!
Sangakkara
2010: A double against India, a ton against windies –both at home.
2011: A double and a ton against Pak. A ton in England.
2012: Scores of 199, 192 versus Pak
Hashim Amla
2010: a double against India at home, a ton against Ind in India.
2011: A couple of tons, not big ones.
2012: 311*, the first SA to do so.
Building up to Verdict
Three parameters are important
Consistency, Diversity in run-making (venues), quality of oppositions.
If we talk of consistency, Sachin and Amla get eliminated. Sachin hasn’t done well in 2012. Amla had a relatively quiet season in 2011. Three left.
If we talk of diversity in run-making, Kallis , Sangakkara, Cook –all three have done it. They have scored against various oppositions at different venues.
If we talk about quality of oppositions, Alastair Cook having scored against Australia in Ashes, Steyn-led SA attack and Malinga led SL attack, emerges as comprehensive winner. Each of his centuries have been big ones with many 150+ scores.
Final Verdict: Alistair Cook is the best batsmen since 2010.