Suresh Raina ignores Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni as he announces his all-time World XI, four India legends make the cut

Former Indian World Cup winner Suresh Raina recently revealed his all-time World Playing XI which is studded with cricket legends. Suresh Raina picked the World XI during the ongoing World Championship of Legends 2025 (WCL 2025). In a surprising move, Raina omitted his former captain MS Dhoni, from his dream team. Adding to the unexpected exclusions, modern-era legend Virat Kohli, who has retired from Test and T20I cricket, was also not included in Raina's World Playing XI. Instead, Raina opted for a more old-school approach, selecting the legendary West Indian Brian Lara and the all-time great Sachin Tendulkar as his opening batsmen.

The middle order of the former Indian batter's star-studded lineup features prominent West Indies legends Sir Vivian Richards and Garry Sobers, alongside India’s legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh. To ensure balance in his dream World XI, Raina also included two English all-rounders.

Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff were entrusted with the all-round duties by Raina. Notably, the ICC Champions Trophy winner has selected a spin-heavy bowling attack, comprising the late Australian spinner Shane Warne, Indian greats Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, and Pakistan’s spin maestro Saqlain Mushtaq.

Concluding his squad selection, Raina picked former South African wrist-spinner Paul Adams as the impact player in his World Playing XI. However, he did not specify who would captain the team, nor did he name a specialist wicketkeeper. Despite the readily available option of MS Dhoni, widely regarded as the best wicketkeeper in the world, Raina surprisingly overlooked the Indian legend, along with Virat Kohli.

Suresh Raina's World Playing XI:

Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Vivian Richards, Garry Sobers, Yuvraj Singh, Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff, Shane Warne, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Saqlain Mushtaq, Paul Adams (Impact Player)

Raina is currently gearing up to make a return to the cricket field as part of the ongoing World Championship of Legends 2025 (WCL 2025). This tournament brings together six teams comprising retired legends from major cricketing nations, including India, Australia, England, Pakistan, the West Indies, and South Africa. Raina will be representing the India Champions team, which boasts a star-studded lineup of prominent figures from Indian cricket. The India Champions squad includes notable names such as Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan and Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Piyush Chawla, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron, Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, Siddharth Kaul, and Gurkeerat Mann.