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

Pacers

#9 James Anderson

Anderson's swing bowling is poetry in motion

With a tally of 540 wickets, James Anderson is the highest wicket-taker for England in test cricket. On surfaces conducive to swing bowling, Anderson is second to none. He can unleash magical spells replete with viciously swinging deliveries and make life difficult for the batsmen.

Anderson is still going strong and with some more years of international cricket left in him, he is on course for surpassing the legendary Glenn McGrath's tally of 563 wickets, which is the highest for any pace bowler so far. Even the 600 wicket barrier is very much under threat.

It is impossible to argue about the selection of a bowler with more than 500 wickets to his name. The master of the swing will be the spearhead of our pace battery.

Matches: 138, Wickets: 540, Average: 27.23

#10 Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad is likely to enter the exalted 500 wicket club

Getting walloped for six sixes an over - only a handful of bowlers in the entire history of cricket had to suffer this ignominy at the highest level. But early in his career, Broad had to endure that nightmare in the 2007 T20 World Cup because of a rampaging Yuvraj Singh.

At that moment, he looked like a broken man and such a dreadful experience can put an end to the careers of many bowlers. But, England's think-tank had a lot of faith in him and he repaid it in spades. Fast forward to 2018, Broad has more than 400 wickets to his name and only Anderson took greater no. of wickets for England.

Broad can generate disconcerting bounce and is capable of bowling very hostile spells. Along with Anderson, he formed a potent pace bowling combination. Facing the duo at the height of their powers is going to be a daunting task for any batsman.

His magnificent 8/15 that decimated the Australians will remain in the hearts of the English fans for a very long time. Broad can also make some useful runs in the lower order.

Matches: 118, Wickets: 417, Average: 28.89

#11 Zaheer Khan

At his peak, Zaheer troubled the best of the batsmen

The pitches in India can be morale-sapping for the pacers and the nation's pace bowling cupboard is bare. While nobody has been able to replicate the great Kapil Dev's heroics, two pace bowlers can be said to have done at least a decent job. One is Javagal Srinath and the other is Zaheer Khan.

On his day, Zaheer could be a tough nut to crack for the batsmen. He possessed the ability to swing the ball appreciably and deliver inch-perfect yorkers.

In the latter half of his career, he gained mastery over his craft and developed into a world-class bowler. Till his retirement, he led the Indian pace bowling unit with distinction.

Zaheer faces stiff competition from Srinath and Darren Gough for the third pace bowling slot but gets the nod ahead of them by virtue of being a left-hander. A left-hander will add variety to the bowling line-up dominated by right-handers.

Matches: 92, Wickets: 311, Average: 32.94

---

Would you have included any other player in this list? Sound off your opinion in the comments section below!