Dinesh Karthik Picks India All Time Playing XI: Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has wicked his all-time Indian cricket team, playing XI of players from past and present and across all formats, and the team is filled with absolute legends of the game.
Karthik, who is a beloved broadcaster after retirement, is also part of IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s coaching unit. In a recent video shared on Cricbuzz’s YouTube channel, he revealed his all-time India XI.
The 39-year-old picked a team with five batters, two all-rounders, two spinners, and two pacers. Rather than selecting a specialist wicketkeeper, he named a batter who also kept wickets for India for a few years.
Dinesh Karthik Picks India All Time Playing XI
Dinesh picked the awesome and aggressive opening duo of Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma to start at the top. Sehwag was one of the most destructive batters of his era. Having scored over 17000 runs across his international career with an average of 40+, the extent of his power hitting could be measured by the fact that his strike rate in Test cricket was 82.33.
Rohit Sharma is the successor of Sehwag and plays a similar role in the side, providing a quick start. The captain of the Indian ODI and Test side, Rohit, most recently won the 2024 T20 World Cup with India before retiring from T20Is. He is one of the players who could captain this team.
The middle order consists of three of the greatest batters of all time. At no. 3, Dinesh Karthik picked Sachin Tendulkar, at four, it’s Rahul Dravid, and at five, it’s Virat Kohli. Sachin Tendulkar needs no introduction. Arguably the greatest batter of all time and the most prolific international batsman. With over 34300 runs in international cricket, Sachin scored 100 international centuries in his 24-year-long career.
Rahul Dravid, known as ‘The Wall’ for his ability to hold onto one end of the crease, might be the most disciplined and technically sound player in this team. From an average of over 52 in Test cricket to over 24000 runs in his international career, Dravid is not only the default wicketkeeper of this team but also a captain nominee. He most recently coached the Indian team to the 2024 T20 World Cup win.
Virat Kohli is considered by most the successor of Sachin Tendulkar. Probably the greatest batter of his generation, Kohli has over 70 centuries and about 27000 in international cricket with a lot of mileage to go. After winning the T20 World Cup, he retired from T20Is and now focuses on ODIs and Tests, his stronger formats. If this team were real, Virat would probably be its captain.
Next come two all-rounders and two left-arm batters/orthodox spinners. First is Yuvraj Singh, who is in conversation with the most stylish batter in cricket history. While he does have over 11000 runs and about 150 wickets in international cricket, that is not his defining legacy. Yuvraj, for lack of better terms, won India two World Cups. He was an integral part of the squad in the 2007 T20 World Cup, a tournament where he hit six sixes in an over against England’s Stuart Broad. More importantly, he was the player of the tournament in the 2011 World Cup, a tournament he played while suffering from what we would later find out was cancer.
The other all-rounder in this team is Ravindra Jadeja. A fixture of all-format for the past decade, Jadeja is probably the best all-rounder in the world in sub-continent conditions. With over 6000 runs and nearly 600 wickets in international cricket, Jadeja has centuries and five-wicket hauls in Test and ODI cricket.
Next, come the two spinners. The first one of them could be counted as yet another all-rounder. Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the most cunning customers in modern cricket. One of the sharpest tools in the shed, his multiple variations and ability to adapt to the conditions make him invaluable to any side. While Ashwin has emerged as a pinch-hitter in recent years, he is mostly known for his bowling and has the second-most Test wickets for an Indian with 516.
From the second-highest Test wicket Indian to the first-highest, Anil Kumble is next on the list and yet another captaincy candidate. Kumble might have been the most prolific spinner in world cricket, especially in Tests, despite not turning the ball the most. From his unnatural bounce to his ability to read batter, this is what brought Kumble 619 Test wickets.
Now for the final two, both of them being pacers. The first pacer in this team is Jasprit Bumrah. While it might be recency bias that compels some to say this, Jaasprit Bumrah is the greatest pacer in Indian cricket history. With about 400 wickets in international cricket, Bumrah is among the very rare breed of bowlers who, whenever they bowl, seem just a ball away from taking a wicket. He can swing, produce bounce, generate movement off the pitch, and give the ball a mighty pace. He was named the 2024 T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament.
Last but certainly not least is Zaheer Khan. Zaheer was a threat at every portion of an inning. With the new ball, he could swing that leather to high heaven and was a master at reverse swing. When the ball got a bit older, he was a master at reverse-swing. With over 600 international wickets, he was considered the greatest Indian pacer by many before Bumrah showed up. But Zaheer, struggles with injury have been less severe than Jasprit’s.
Dinesh Karthik also picked a 12th man for his team, that being Harbhajan Singh. Bhajji might be the greatest spinner in the history of a country filled with greatness in spin. With over 700 international wickets, Harbhajan has played alongside every player on this team.
Dinesh Karthik’s Playing XI: Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, Jasprit Bumrah, Zaheer Khan. 12th man – Harbhajan Singh
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