Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir is currently on a break. The Indian team will be in action starting September 19 with a Test series against Bangladesh. In the meantime, Gambhir has selected his all-time best ODI XI for Team India, making several surprising choices. Notably, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, one of the most successful ODI batsmen and the scorer of three double centuries, is not included in this XI.
Gambhir’s Selected XI:
For the openers, Gambhir has included Virender Sehwag and himself. This choice means Rohit Sharma did not make the cut. At number three, Gambhir picked the legendary Rahul Dravid, who was the backbone of the Indian team in his era. At number four, he chose Sachin Tendulkar, often referred to as the God of Cricket.
Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni Also Included:
Gambhir has given a place to star batsman Virat Kohli at number five, who holds the record for the most centuries in ODI cricket. For the sixth spot, he included Yuvraj Singh. Former captain MS Dhoni also made it into Gambhir’s team, securing the seventh position.
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Bowlers in Gambhir’s XI:
Gambhir included two spinners and two fast bowlers. Anil Kumble and Ravichandran Ashwin, the top wicket-takers for India, were chosen as spinners. Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan were selected as the fast bowlers. Notably, Gambhir did not include Jasprit Bumrah or any players from the 1983 World Cup-winning team in his all-time XI.