All-time Indian cricket team ODI XI

Lower middle order – Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (C) and Kapil Dev

Dhoni (L) and Yuvraj (R) formed an irresistible pair

Perhaps the easiest lot to select because, well, each of them effectively select themselves. For a while, the Dhoni-Yuvraj partnership was the most irresistible batting pair on the planet. They walked into hopeless situations and carved victories out of nothing for the Indian cricket team. They were also the pioneers of the aggressive philosophy the side deploys now, meaning that they won’t really be out of place in today’s ODI landscape.

Apart from that, Dhoni and Yuvraj had a proclivity to rise to the biggest of occasions. Dhoni’s knock at the Wankhede Stadium is the stuff of legend, whereas Yuvraj was instrumental throughout that particular tournament (as an all-rounder), quietly scooping up the Player of the Series award in the process.

Also, this eleven is not being selected on how both of their international careers wound down. Instead, it has been complied based on how they were in their prime. And, boy, weren’t Dhoni and Yuvraj a sight to behold in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Kapil Dev’s inclusion was, well, a given. That alone tells you his calbier. He could win matches with the ball, he could hare around the park and snaffle up tough chances, and as he showed against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup, he could single-handedly win games of cricket with the willow.

Funnily enough, no one has ever seen that extraordinary knock. But almost everyone vividly remembers it and the far-reaching effects it had for the Indian cricket team. Truly a generational cricketer.

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Bowlers – Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Jasprit Bumrah and Javagal Srinath

No Indian has more ODI wickets than Kumble

This got quite interesting, considering the array of bowlers the Indian cricket team has produced since 1974. And, prima facie, it seems a bit paradoxical that India, long considered the land of spinners, has only a solitary front-line spinner in its all-time eleven. But here is the catch.

Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin might count themselves unlucky to be excluded. But neither has a record that really stands out in the 50-over format. If the team was selected on pure talent, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan would have waltzed into the side. Longevity, though, was a slight issue.

The likes of Bishan Singh Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan spun countless webs in red-ball cricket. However, none of the troika enjoyed success in limited-overs cricket.

Thus, the alternative was to select India’s four best bowlers (excluding Kapil, of course), which comprises of three pacers and one spinner. Anil Kumble’s ODI exploits aren’t appreciated enough because of the heights he scaled in Tests. But he, as things stand, remains the Indian cricket team’s highest wicket-taker in the format.

Similarly, Srinath and Zaheer were excellent in their pomp. Both were as skillful as any pacer on the planet and were adept at performing different roles. Zaheer, in particular, was the cornerstone of the Indian cricket team’s World Cup triumph in 2011.

As for Bumrah, well, he hasn’t played as much as some of the others in this eleven. But if his career so far is an indicator, he looks primed to surpass all records that his predecessors had set. He is at the peak of his powers and seems a cut above each of his contemporaries. Oh, by the way, he also happens to be the best end-overs bowler India has ever produced. He isn’t shabby with the new ball either.

There was a temptation to go with one of Harbhajan or Ashwin. But when considering what the pacers bring to the plate, it became an untenable option. Plus, batters of the ilk of Sehwag and Yuvraj were more than useful with the ball, meaning that if this Indian cricket team needed more spinners, they only had to look within.

Phew! This is some team, isn’t it?