Cricinfo has got England n Australia all time XIs. So the next in line should be India or West Indies. In the order of test debuts. No wait. It could be Bangladesh or South Africa. So may be I thought I should have Arm Ball all time Indian XI in Tests.
Openers :
Little doubt here that the 2 most successful openers qualify for the slot have played for India in last 38 years.
1. Sunny Gavaskar
2. Virender Sehwag
One of them an immaculate opener with tremendous concentration and technique followed by ability to blunt out the new ball. West Indies in their prime were example of how Gavaskar could be while opening the batting. 2749 runs in 27 tests with 13 hundreds in an era when their quicks dominated tells all about the greatsness of the man who brought the recognition to Indian cricket in lacklusture 70s.
Virender Sehwag the makeshift opener who has made huge centuries everywhere -- dead pitches of Pakistan, bouncy tracks of Australia, slow and low pitches of SL, seaming tracks of England and SA followed by flat tracks of Chennai. He has been an unorthodox opener in the modern era and the only slot available for him to play when the middle order was the BEST country ever had. His record itself suggests the value for the country. When he bats big, India usually doesnt lose.
3. Rahul Dravid.
4. Sachin Tendulkar
The only choices.
5. VVS Laxman
6. Saurav Ganguly
The possible choices. Not many again who could compete with the modern greats. Made runs in all conditions and against all oppositions home and away. Silken touch. Classy, wristy.
7. Kapil Dev
The obvious choice who turned the tables around for India in fast bowling. Before him there were almost nobody in the fast bowling dept except for Mohd Nisar who got india's first 5-for. Bowlers used to bowl for 4 or 5 over spell to take the shine off the ball and then the spinners used to come on. 434 wkts in 131 Tests meant he was country's first great fast bowler.
8. Kirmani
For now as a wicket keeper who has made most runs and played most tests as Indian keeper. 88 Tests and 2759 runs. Would soon be got past by MS, but for now he is the one who is India's best so far. He played his cricket with the greats like Kapil, Gavaskar and the spinners.
9. Anil Kumble
The first choice for the spinner with 619 wickets in 132 Tests and in all conditions against all countries. Very less people would know of his stats against Australia. 111 wkts in 20 odd Tests in an era when Australia have dominated like no other team.
10. J Srinath
The second fast bowler after Kapil Dev to have succeeded in country. 236 wkts in 67 Tests wont much say for his talent as he had to sit out his 3 best years in the early stages of his career to accomodate Kapil Dev. One time in 1996 he partnered Venkatesh Prasad to form one of the lethal new ball pairs before injury to 1997 WI tour began his stint of missing tests more than playing.
11. E. Prassana
The off spinner of the yester years to get in my team. Done in by his failure against Pakistan in 1979 tour he was left out in the haste.
There could have been more choices here :
Bedi and Chandra for Kumble.
Vijay Manjrekar for Dravid. Polly Umrigar or Vinoo Mankad at 5 or 6. Azhar for Laxman.
Laxman and Ganguly have played more often in winning teams and have set out in an era when the country has won more matches abroad than lost. In fact this decade the win ratio abroad is just next to Australia and South Africa.
Bedi and Chandra excelled in conditions that suited them. They flopped badly when the pitch didnt offer them the turn. Their pathetic record abroad is the epitome. Besides Kumble wasnt supposed to be the best of the turners and he didnt get cheap wkts either against BD or Zim.
The biggest question : who captains the team. Is it Kapil Dev or Sunil Gavaskar or Saurav Ganguly ?
Its anybody's guess.
Openers :
Little doubt here that the 2 most successful openers qualify for the slot have played for India in last 38 years.
1. Sunny Gavaskar
2. Virender Sehwag
One of them an immaculate opener with tremendous concentration and technique followed by ability to blunt out the new ball. West Indies in their prime were example of how Gavaskar could be while opening the batting. 2749 runs in 27 tests with 13 hundreds in an era when their quicks dominated tells all about the greatsness of the man who brought the recognition to Indian cricket in lacklusture 70s.
Virender Sehwag the makeshift opener who has made huge centuries everywhere -- dead pitches of Pakistan, bouncy tracks of Australia, slow and low pitches of SL, seaming tracks of England and SA followed by flat tracks of Chennai. He has been an unorthodox opener in the modern era and the only slot available for him to play when the middle order was the BEST country ever had. His record itself suggests the value for the country. When he bats big, India usually doesnt lose.
3. Rahul Dravid.
4. Sachin Tendulkar
The only choices.
5. VVS Laxman
6. Saurav Ganguly
The possible choices. Not many again who could compete with the modern greats. Made runs in all conditions and against all oppositions home and away. Silken touch. Classy, wristy.
7. Kapil Dev
The obvious choice who turned the tables around for India in fast bowling. Before him there were almost nobody in the fast bowling dept except for Mohd Nisar who got india's first 5-for. Bowlers used to bowl for 4 or 5 over spell to take the shine off the ball and then the spinners used to come on. 434 wkts in 131 Tests meant he was country's first great fast bowler.
8. Kirmani
For now as a wicket keeper who has made most runs and played most tests as Indian keeper. 88 Tests and 2759 runs. Would soon be got past by MS, but for now he is the one who is India's best so far. He played his cricket with the greats like Kapil, Gavaskar and the spinners.
9. Anil Kumble
The first choice for the spinner with 619 wickets in 132 Tests and in all conditions against all countries. Very less people would know of his stats against Australia. 111 wkts in 20 odd Tests in an era when Australia have dominated like no other team.
10. J Srinath
The second fast bowler after Kapil Dev to have succeeded in country. 236 wkts in 67 Tests wont much say for his talent as he had to sit out his 3 best years in the early stages of his career to accomodate Kapil Dev. One time in 1996 he partnered Venkatesh Prasad to form one of the lethal new ball pairs before injury to 1997 WI tour began his stint of missing tests more than playing.
11. E. Prassana
The off spinner of the yester years to get in my team. Done in by his failure against Pakistan in 1979 tour he was left out in the haste.
There could have been more choices here :
Bedi and Chandra for Kumble.
Vijay Manjrekar for Dravid. Polly Umrigar or Vinoo Mankad at 5 or 6. Azhar for Laxman.
Laxman and Ganguly have played more often in winning teams and have set out in an era when the country has won more matches abroad than lost. In fact this decade the win ratio abroad is just next to Australia and South Africa.
Bedi and Chandra excelled in conditions that suited them. They flopped badly when the pitch didnt offer them the turn. Their pathetic record abroad is the epitome. Besides Kumble wasnt supposed to be the best of the turners and he didnt get cheap wkts either against BD or Zim.
The biggest question : who captains the team. Is it Kapil Dev or Sunil Gavaskar or Saurav Ganguly ?
Its anybody's guess.
1 Perspectives:
1.Agree with you for top 4 slot - gavaskar,shewag,dravid and sachin.
No 5 would be ganguly , as captain and lone left handed batsman ( remmeber rest all r right handed ) . Choose Ganguly against Laxman, Vengserkar, Vishwanath & azar.
I have 2 all rounders in my side. No 6 Kapil dev ,no question abt his selection. No 7 would be Ravi Shastri . A good enough batsman to be a opener he can prove a very good lower order batsman and more than a part time left arm bowler.
My wicketkeeper choice would be Nayan Mongia , who kept wickets to anil kumbles fast deliveries standing up to wickets in difficult tracks,also a handy batsman.
First choice spinner is anil kumble, second choice Harbhajan ( off spinner for adding variety to attack and also second most successfull spinner in india ).
Other fast bolwer would be Javagal srinath with Zaheer khan as 12th man ( incase we r playing in seaming tracks,can replace harbhajan) .
1.Gavaskar
2.Shewag
3.Dravid
4.Sachin
5.Ganguly
6.Kapil dev
7.Ravi shastri
8.Nayan mongia
9.Anil kumble
10.Harbjahan singh
11. Javagal srinath
12th man : Zaheer khan
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