India-England Test XI of the modern era (last 25 years)

Middle-order

#3 Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid was one of the most technically sound batsmen of his era

If Sachin Tendulkar was destined for greatness, Rahul Dravid seemed to have earned it the hard way. Dravid personified patience, a virtue in test cricket at least according to the school of classical batsmanship.

He possessed immaculate defence and an airtight technique that would delight the lovers of the traditional style of batting.

Blessed with amazing powers of concentration, Dravid wore down bowling attacks and played many marathon innings. Nobody apart from Tendulkar, of course, was more valuable for India during his time.

The overseas tours present a stern test for the Indian batsmen as the conditions there are vastly different to the spin-friendly pitches in the sub-continent.

While many batsmen struggled hopelessly, Dravid was one of the few players who passed the test with flying colours.

Dravid was a perfect team man. He was never reluctant to open the batting when a regular opener was not available. He was always willing to don the gloves if needed. 'The Wall' is a shoo-in for the No.3 slot.

Matches: 164, Runs: 13288, Average: 52.31

#4 Sachin Tendulkar

Tendulkar's career has been one of

milestones

Even before Tendulkar, the Indian cricket history was not short of heroes. There was Sunil Gavaskar who defied the fearsome West Indian bowlers.

There was Kapil Dev, the Haryana Hurricane who mesmerised with his allround ability. But, Tendulkar took the hero-worship to a new level altogether.

Worshipped as 'the God of Cricket', Tendulkar smashed many batting records in the international cricket. He is the highest run-getter in both formats of the game and is the only player to feature in 200 test matches. He excelled against world-class bowling attacks in all conditions.

Tendulkar began his career earlier than most of his contemporary greats and lasted longer. At the half-way stage of his career itself, the Master Blaster had already accomplished enough to earn a permanent place in the pantheon of batting greats. The maestro will occupy the no.4 slot in our line-up. His selection is a no-brainer.

Matches: 200, Runs: 15921, Average: 53.78

#5 Kevin Pietersen

Pietersen has the ability to take the attack to the opposition bowling

England cricket of the modern era suffered from an acute shortage of world-class batsmen and when Kevin Pietersen arrived, it could finally boast of a batsman who could be counted as one of the best in the business. For a considerable period of time till Alistair Cook found his groove, England's batting fortunes relied heavily on this flamboyant cricketer.

He was always in the eye of the storm and had it not been for a dispute with the team management that ended his career prematurely, he could have found his name in the illustrious 10,000 test runs club. While there may be debate on the controversies that surrounded him, the point that he is one of the finest ever batsmen to wear the English jersey is unanimously agreed upon. VVS Laxman is another worthy contender for this slot.

Matches: 104, Runs: 8181, Average: 47.28

#6 Andrew Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff put in some memorable performances for England

Had this been an all-time combined XI of India and England, there would have been a fascinating duel between Ian Botham and Kapil Dev to win the allrounder's slot. But, due to this being a team of only the last 25 years, we miss that mouth-watering prospect and that leaves us with not many choices for this slot. Andrew Flintoff wins it hands down.

Flintoff will not be ranked anywhere near Botham in the list of great allrounders. But, there was a short period during his career where the big man delivered some exhilarating performances that gave the English fans serious hopes of seeing another Botham.

He will be remembered fondly by the English fans as the hero of the historic 2005 Ashes series. To merely evoke a comparison with an allrounder of Botham's stature is a notable feat in itself and no English allrounder apart from Flintoff achieved it.

Matches: 79, Runs: 3845, Batting Average: 31.77, Wickets: 226, Bowling Average: 32.78

#7 Alec Stewart (wicket keeper)

Alec Stewart did a praiseworthy job with both the bat and the gloves

Alec Stewart was a vital cog in the England team of the 1990s and the early 2000s. He was a fine wicket-keeper and his batting was far better than that of his wicket-keeping rivals like Jack Russel.

This made him England's no.1 choice for the keeping gloves in both formats. He averaged 39 in test cricket, a number that would have given him a guaranteed place in the England team of his time as a batsman alone.

Stewart is one of the greatest servants of the English cricket and when he hung up his boots, he held England's record for the highest no. of appearances in test cricket. The only other contender for this slot is Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Stewart edges out Dhoni narrowly by virtue of his slightly superior batting average(39.54 to Dhoni's 38.09).

Matches: 133, Runs: 8463, Average: 39.54, Catches: 263, Stumpings: 14