Greatest Asia ODI XI of all time

#6 MS Dhoni (wk)

MS Dhoni can switch gears according to the situation

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of Indian cricket's most charismatic cricketers ever. He started as an all-out attacking batsman, smashing a blistering 148 in only his fifth ODI, a knock that announced his arrival on the international stage. The boy from Jharkhand grew from strength to strength and, soon enough, became the darling of the crowds.

After taking up the role of captaincy, Dhoni cut down the aggression in his game and became more cautious, but still retained the ability to destroy bowling attacks when it mattered. He is one of the handful of batsmen in world cricket to boast of an ODI batting average over 50, a testament to his incredible consistency.

For being the architect of many successful run chases in high-pressure situations, the uber-cool Dhoni is rightly considered the greatest finisher in ODI cricket. His glove-work is top-notch too.

As a captain, he led the young Indian brigade to many splendid victories in limited-overs cricket, the most notable one being the 2011 World Cup triumph in which he played a stellar role in the final with an unbeaten 91.

#7 Kapil Dev(c)

Kapil Dev was one of the leading all-rounders of his era

Kapil Dev is by far the best all-rounder India has ever produced. In an age when a strike rate of 70 was considered decent, 'the Haryana Hurricane' bludgeoned runs at a breakneck 95 runs per hundred balls. Even by today's inflated batting strike rates, it is phenomenal. His bowling record of 253 wickets in 225 matches at a miserly economy rate of 3.71 is commendable too.

Other contenders for this slot include Imran Khan, the legendary all-rounder from Pakistan and Shakib Al Hasan, one of the finest all-rounders in world cricket today.

Imran has a better batting average (33 to Kapil's 23), but Kapil's far superior strike rate (95 to Imran Khan's 72) amply compensates for the difference in batting average. Shakib, who bowls slow left-arm orthodox, misses out as there is already a left-arm spin all-round option in the form of Jayasuriya.

Moreover, Kapil, being a pace-bowling all-rounder, can act as the third pacer. At no. 7, he can provide the surge needed in the death overs with his devastating batting.

As a skipper, Kapil was brilliant. He led a team of underdogs to a historic World Cup triumph in 1983 and will be the captain of our side.

#8 Shahid Afridi

Nobody in the game's history batted as belligerently as Shahid Afridi

When a player makes 50 runs in 50 balls, it is considered to be a quick-fire innings, but if the player is Shahid Afridi, it is regarded as a restrained knock. Such is the aggression of this swashbuckling all-rounder from Pakistan. Afridi started his career as a hard-hitting batsman, smashing the fastest hundred at the time (off just 37 balls) in his first ODI innings. His tendency to smash almost every ball for a boundary made him the most dangerous and entertaining batsman around, but that also meant he was easy pickings for the bowlers.

His leg-spin improved vastly in the second half of his career, so much so that he became indispensable to the team purely on the strength of his bowling when his ability with the bat deserted him. Eventually, he ended his career as one of the most excellent all-rounders in the ODI format with 8064 runs and 395 wickets in 398 matches.

His strike rate of 117 is miles ahead of that of any other hard-hitting batsman in the world. At no. 8, all Afridi needs is an over or two to alter the course of the game entirely with his incredible hitting. His fast leg-spinners can wreak havoc on the batsmen in the middle overs as well.

#9 Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram was a consummate bowler

Coming from a country rich in pace bowling reserves, Wasim Akram etched his name as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the entire history of the game. It is not an exaggeration to say that there is not an aspect of fast bowling that Akram did not have complete mastery over. His place as the greatest left-arm pacer remains unrivalled.

Nicknamed the 'Sultan of Swing' for his exceptional ability to swing the ball, Akram deceived the batsmen with his vast repertoire of skills and was very hard to score off. He also holds the record for being the first bowler in the world to breach the 500-wicket barrier in ODIs.

With 502 wickets in ODIs and 414 in Tests, he is one of the most prolific wicket-takers ever. Not surprisingly, he was also one of the most frugal bowlers of his era as his economy of 3.89 shows. The left-arm wizard is an automatic choice and will be the leader of our pace attack.

#10 Waqar Younis

In his heydey, Waqar Younis was the deadliest bowler in the world

Such were the fast bowling riches of Pakistan that they had not just one 'Sultan of Swing' but two at the same time! Waqar Younis, 'the other Sultan of Swing,' was no less lethal than the legendary Wasim Akram, and was, in fact, a better wicket-taker. At his best, Waqar unleashed unplayable yorkers like nobody else and hit the bottom of the stumps or the toes of the batsmen at lightning speed.

And the fact that those yorkers could also swing in any direction multiplied the danger. When on song, Waqar decimated batting lineups mercilessly.

His tally of 416 wickets in 262 matches studded with 13 five-wicket hauls is stupendous and puts him in the pantheon of the greatest pacers in the ODI format. Along with Wasim, he formed one of the most feared bowling combinations ever.

Who better to open the bowling with Akram than Waqar? The two Ws make for a glorious sight for everyone watching them, except the batsmen of course, for whom they can be a real nightmare.

#11 Muttiah Muralitharan

The wily Muralitharan was the backbone of the Lankan bowling

For the bulk of his career, Muttiah Muralitharan bore the lion's share of the burden of Sri Lanka's bowling on his shoulders and did a phenomenal job at that. Without an iota of doubt, he was the biggest match-winner Sri Lanka has ever produced.

One often hears of spinners blaming the lack of assistance from the pitch for their inability to extract proper turn, but with Murali, there were no such problems. Regardless of the pitch and the conditions, Murali could turn the ball massively in either direction, thus spinning a web of confusion around the batsmen. It is because of the massive success Murali had that the 'Doosra' has become very popular now.

There may be a few strong contenders like Virat Kohli and Alastair Cook who can overhaul some of Tendulkar's batting records, but Murali faces no such challenge with his bowling records. Another interesting fact is that Murali's bowling records (800 wickets in Tests and 534 in ODIs) are far more unsurpassable than Tendulkar's, and yet, it is not he who is worshipped as 'the God of Cricket.' Muralitharan will be the spearhead of the spin attack in our side.