OTD| Former legendary New Zealand batter Ross Taylor was born in 1984

Former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor has turned 40 today. For more than a decade he was ‘Mr. Dependable’ in the New Zealand’s batting unit. Taylor’s batting style is very similar to his personality on the ground. Unhurried, composed, and unrelenting, that is how one can describe his game. 

The Kiwi great was able to make his debut in international cricket in 2006 against West Indies in an ODI at Napier. The youngster did not take too long to show his class as he scored his first century in his third One-Day international against Sri Lanka on the same venue where he made his debut. His unbeaten 128-run knock was enough to force the team management to try him out in other formats as well. Later that year he got the call-up for the T20 squad set to play against Sri Lanka. The most cherished call-up came almost a year later for Ross Taylor when he got selected for the Test team. He went on to make his Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in November 2007. 

A Trusted General 

His career progressed as Ross Taylor became the pillar of the Kiwi team in all formats of the game. Everything was negotiable but not Ross Taylor’s place in the squad. Throughout his time in international cricket, he remained a rock-solid figure in the New Zealand batting order. Ross Taylor has played the joint most (with Daniel Vettori) number of Tests in the history of New Zealand cricket. The middle-order maverick represented his team in 112 Tests scoring 7683 runs at an average of 44.66. Whereas in ODI cricket he played 236 matches. In the 50-over format, he had 8607 runs to his name at an average of 47.55. 

It took a long time but ultimately Ross Taylor had the glory when New Zealand became the inaugural World Test Champions. After multiple setbacks in the knockouts of major tournaments, this deserved crowning moment completed the illustrious career of a legendary figure.