Best Test XI of the 21st century

Test Cricket is the oldest format of the game started in 1877. Ever since, then it remained the most respected and entertaining one for the hard-core cricket fans all over the world. Be it a batsman, a bowler or a fielder, this format of the game is a supreme challenge for every cricketer who ever took the field.

Though there are a lot of questions being raised about the future of the oldest format, red ball cricket is still the best format of the game. And as Kevin Pietersen said at the Pataudi Lecture last month, “In my humble opinion, a hard fought 5 day test match remains the greatest all round challenge in modern day sport.”

Though it is sometimes termed as boring, players who graced the game have made it as entertaining as it can be.

The players who have played the game in this century and have produced some classical and memorable performances for the fans around the globe have been selected.

This fantasy team consists of 11 players, some aggressive while some elegant, some had raw pace while some won it by their accuracy. It’s not just how many wickets that they have taken over the course of their career but also taking into consideration the conditions where they were taken in.

Having said that, let us have a look at 11 players who have made a cut in the ‘Test XI of the 21st Century'.

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1. Matthew Hayden

The flamboyant Australian opening batsman, Matthew Hayden is the opener of the side. Hayden teared apart almost every bowling attack in his era mostly supported by his regular opening partner, Justin Langer.

He was one of the core members of the legendary Australian side of the early 2000s who dominated the game.

Being one of the better players of spin, he scored 201 against the Indian spin bowling attack in the famous 2001 series which remains one of the highlights of his career. He also scored a World record 380 runs which was later broken by Brian Lara. Hayden’s 380 still remains the highest individual score by an Australian in a test innings.

Hayden's 30 hundreds while opening the batting for the kangaroos is second only to Sunil Gavaskar's 33.

He scored 8625 runs in 103 test matches at a staggering average of 50.74.

2. Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag is often regarded as the batsman who redefined opening batting in test cricket. His aggressive approach to the game was second to none and his strike rate of 82.23 seems unreal even after the standards set by the T20 leagues.

He has 2 triple hundreds to his name. One was the fastest triple hundred (278 balls) against the South African bowling attack consisting the likes of Makhaya Ntini, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn and other was against Pakistan which earned him the title 'Sultan of Multan'. He fell short of a record third triple century by 7 runs against Sri Lanka at the Brabourne Stadium in 2009.

He had the knack of getting 'daddy hundreds', with 13 out of his 23 hundreds in Test matches resulting in the score in excess of 150.

His attacking game fetched him 8586 runs in test cricket at an average of 49.34.

3. Ricky Ponting (Captain)

he legendary Australian is one of the greatest batsman to have played 5 day cricket. With his elegant style and free stroke play, Ponting destroyed the best attacks of his generation at will. Ponting holds the record for the most runs in 2000-2009 span.

Often described by his counterparts as the 'most fierce competitor’, Ponting was one of the greatest leaders to have played the game. Not only did he win ICC titles in ODI cricket, he was a great captain in test cricket, winning 48 Matches out of 77 matches in which he led the Australian side. For his record as a captain of the Australian team, Ponting is the captain for this side.

His 13,378 runs in 168 test matches at an average of 51.85 were second only to the great Sachin Tendulkar at the time of his retirement.

4. Brian Lara

5th Test Match England v West Indi

The legendary Brian Lara makes it to our fantasy XI, and his selection is a no brainer. He holds the record of being the only batsman to score a 100, 200, 300, 400 in test matches.

His 400 Not out against England in Antigua in 2004 still remains a world record individual score in an innings. Lara also held the record of most runs in test match cricket till the time Sachin Tendulkar broke his tally in October 2008. He has most runs at the No. 3 position in test cricket. He is often regarded as the greatest left handed batsman to play the game.

The elegant left hander scored 11953 runs in test cricket at an average of 52.89.

5. Sachin Tendulkar

Any playing XI in cricket without the great Sachin Tendulkar in it, really seems incomplete. So we too have the 'God' in our team. Out of the may records that Sachin has too his name, he also holds the record for the most runs and most centuries in test matches along with an extraordinary record of representing his country in a record 200 test matches. His determination and technique is unparalleled and he has often showcased it on the field during his career.

Tendulkar had the audacity to face and handle a dangerous bowling attack, starting from facing Wasim Akram, Imran Khan and Waqar Younis in their own den as a 16 year old to facing Allan Donald and Glenn McGrath in their prime.

The Master Blaster scored 15921 runs in test cricket at an average of 53.79.

6. Jacques Kallis

There is no all rounder who provides any side a perfect balance than Jacques Kallis does. His all-round abilities while batting, bowling and fielding are supported by his exquisite statistics. In 166 test matches, Kallis scored 13,289 runs, took 292 wickets and took 200 catches, thereby being the only all-rounder to score 10000 runs and take 250 wickets in test cricket. He is arguably the 'greatest all-rounder' to have graced the game.

His 45 test match hundreds are second only to the Sachin Tendulkar's 51. Along with his playing skills, Kallis was also one of the leaders of the South African side.

7. Adam Gilchrist (Wicket Keeper)

Gilchrist takes the wicket keeper's spot in the side and is the No. 7 batsman, the role he played for the Australian side for most of his career. Gilchrist can be considered as a player who revolutionized the game with his batting role as a keeper and was termed as an all rounder by the Australian team.

Gilchrist destroyed the best bowling attacks in his Test career while playing as lower middle order batsman. He has 417 dismissals to his name as a wicket keeper and holds the record for the most runs at No. 7 position in test matches.

Gilly scored 5570 runs in 96 test matches at an average of 47.61.

8. Shane Warne

Shane Warne, the man with record 708 test wickets is one of the two spinners in the side. Warne is one of the greatest bowlers to have ever played the game and that is because of the impact he had on his opponents. Although he enjoyed success against all countries, he had most of the wickets against South Africa and England, taking 325 wickets against them out of the total wickets he had to his name. He was a highly underrated batsman and was handy a lower order batsman for the Australian side on many occasions.

Warne first came into the picture with a astonishing delivery to Mike Batting in the Ashes, often termed as the 'Ball of the Century’. Surprisingly, this was Warne's first ball in Ashes Cricket.

He took 708 wickets in 145 test matches at an average of 25.42.

9. Glenn McGrath

If you think that test matches are won by swing and raw pace, think again. Glenn McGrath showed everyone that matches are also won by accuracy. As simple as fast bowling can be, McGrath took wickets only by maintaining the line and length. By the end of his career and he had 563 wickets to his name, the most by any fast bowler till date.

Nicknamed the pigeon for his long legs, McGrath tore apart almost every quality opposition batting line up he faced against in his career. He had a maintained a good fitness over the course of his exquisite career for Australia and was the first fast bowler from his country to play 100 test matches.

10. Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn is the only active player to be in the XI. Very few fast bowler were as dangerous as Dale Steyn was in his prime, terrorizing the opposition batting line ups he played against. Steyn's fierce fast bowling was on display at Nagpur in 2010 were dismantled the Indian batting with the figures of 7-51 in the 1st innings.

Steyn was the No. 1 bowler in the ICC rankings in the peak of his career. He owned the numero uno spot for a world record 263 weeks between 2008 and 2014.

Recently while playing against Sri Lanka, he became South Africa's joint leading wicket taker taking 421 wickets in his career, levelling another legend, Shaun Pollock.

11. Muttiah Muralitharan

The last spot goes to the spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan. A veteran of test 800 wickets, Murali single handedly won Sri Lanka a lot of matches in his career.

Though he is regarded as the greatest bowler to have played the game, his career was often marred by 'chucking' allegations. These accusations disturbed Murali the least as he held the No. 1 spot in the ranking for a then world record 1711 days. After Saqlain Mashtaq, Murali was the first one to bowl the doosra.

In 2010, Murali announced his retirement from test cricket after the first test against India. He took 8 wickets in his final test to complete 800 test wickets at an average of 22.73.