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India's out-of-favour batter Cheteshwar Pujara has recently unveiled his combined Test XI featuring players from both India and England in the 21st century. This selection, however, has sparked discussions due to the exclusion of legendary cricketers. Notably absent from Pujara's lineup are Indian legends Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, as well as England stalwarts Alastair Cook and James Anderson.
Currently, Team India is engaged in a five-match Test series in England, where the home team holds a 2-1 advantage after the initial three encounters. Pujara, a seasoned player who has not yet announced his retirement, is not part of the Indian squad for this series. His last appearance in a Test match was during the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia.
Pujara's selection choices were revealed during his participation in ESPNcricinfo’s segment called The Draft, where he was tasked with forming a combined India-England Test XI from the current century. For the crucial opening slots, 37-year-old opted for former cricketers Alec Stewart and Rahul Dravid. This decision meant overlooking other accomplished openers such as Alastair Cook, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, and Murali Vijay.
Pujara's selection for the opening batsmen in his combined India-England Test XI included Alec Stewart as the wicketkeeper-batsman, a choice influenced by Stewart's batting prowess and his role behind the stumps. Throughout his career, Stewart played 133 Test matches, accumulating 8,463 runs with 15 centuries to his name. Partnering him at the top was Rahul Dravid, who represented India in 164 Tests and amassed an impressive 13,288 runs, including 36 centuries.
The middle order of Pujara's combined XI boasts a formidable lineup consisting of Joe Root, Virat Kohli, and VVS Laxman. Root, an active player who is part of the ongoing Test series, has scored 13,259 runs in 156 Tests, with 37 centuries. Kohli, who recently retired from Test cricket, played 123 matches, scoring 9,230 runs with 30 hundreds. Laxman, in his career, scored 8,781 runs in 134 Tests, including 17 centuries. Notably, Joe Root holds the record for the most runs scored in India-England Test matches, with 3,099 runs in 33 matches, averaging an impressive 57.38. It's worth noting that Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni were excluded from this selection.
To complete his combined India-England Test XI for the 21st century, Pujara selected a group of all-rounders and bowlers. His all-rounder picks included England's Ben Stokes and Andrew Flintoff, alongside India's Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, with Ashwin also fulfilling the role of one of the two spinners. The pace attack is led by Indian fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Former England seamer Matthew Hoggard was named as the 12th man for this combined XI. Interestingly, Ravichandran Ashwin is India's leading wicket-taker against England in this century, having taken 114 wickets in 24 matches at an average of 27.72.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s India-England combined Test XI:
Alec Stewart, Rahul Dravid, Joe Root, Virat Kohli, VVS Laxman, Ben Stokes, Andrew Flintoff, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami
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