Team India's head coach Gautam Gambhir recently selected his all-time best XI for the Men in Blue. Surprisingly, he excluded current captain Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, who are considered as team's best opener and pacer respectively.
Gautam Gambhir picks his all-time best XI for India
Gambhir chose himself and Virender Sehwag to open the batting. Both are renowned for their contributions to the Indian team across all formats, having played crucial roles in major victories. At number three, Gambhir selected Rahul Dravid, known as "The Wall." Dravid was a reliable batter and the backbone of the Indian team during his playing days. He often saved the team from collapses and made significant contributions in both Test and ODI matches.
Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar make cut
Gambhir then selected Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli at numbers four and five, respectively. These two are considered the greatest batsmen produced by India. Tendulkar is often referred to as the ‘God of cricket’ and Kohli is seen as his successor. Both have the most centuries in cricket.
Yuvraj Singh was chosen as the spin bowling all-rounder. He is arguably one of the best all-rounders produced by India. Singh played a crucial role in India's victories in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup, where he was the Player of the Tournament.
MS Dhoni was included in Gambhir's all-time best XI as a wicketkeeper-batter. Dhoni is undoubtedly the best wicketkeeper for India and the most successful captain, leading the team to all ICC white-ball titles and making them the number one Test team. Anil Kumble and Ravichandran Ashwin were selected as the two spinners. Kumble is India's leading wicket-taker in Test cricket with 619 scalps and also performed well in ODIs. Ashwin, the second leading wicket-taker in Test cricket for India, has made significant contributions in all formats. He was also part of the 2011 World Cup-winning team.
Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan were the two fast bowlers selected by Gambhir for his all-time best XI. Both left-arm pacers made significant contributions to the team in all three formats. Pathan was also a valuable batsman, playing crucial innings for the team.
A look at Gautam Gambhir all-time best India XI
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Anil Kumble, Ravichandran Ashwin, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan
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