Team India in ODIs: All time greatest ODI XI

From being underdogs to becoming a dominant force in world cricket, India has come a long way, especially in ODIs. India has been blessed with great leaders like Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who have led India to several championships.

With India completing the 950 ODI mark, here's an XI that would rule the world in any generation.

Openers

Virender Sehwag

Destruction par excellence

Virender Sehwag, even the name was enough to scare even the best of the bowlers. Brett Lee, widely regarded as one of the best bowlers of all-time, once said "No matter how experienced you are, Sehwag can kill your attitude." That was Sehwag's impact. He changed ODI batting forever. When the other team's plan was to conserve wickets during the initial stages of the match, he decided to take advantage of the field restrictions in powerplay and thrash the opposition from the word go.

Runs: 8273 @ avg. 35.06; S.R.: 104.33

Rohit Sharma

Rohit is the only cricketer to score 3 double hundreds in ODI cricket.

Now, this is a selection that many people might disagree with. I've chosen him to open over the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Sourav Ganguly. This is because of the fact that in ODI cricket he is a runaway match winner with the bat. Add to that the fact that his limited over career is on the rise. With 3 double hundreds, he already has his own place in the ODI record books. Anyone who has followed the cricket for long enough knows what a delight it is to watch Rohit Sharma bat.

Runs: 6424 @ avg. 45.23; S.R.: 87.08

Middle Order

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin's Contribution to Indian cricket is immense.

Well, if the previous one was controversial, then this one is as obvious as it gets. There's hardly any doubt over his selection as he would make into almost every all-time XI. He has scored 49 ODI centuries in 463 ODIs. Those numbers seem to be so inhuman.

There was time when Sachin's wicket falling meant that the match was over for India, and people would switch off their television sets, such was the aura of the great man.

Runs: 18426 @ avg. 44.83; S.R. : 86.24

Virat Kohli

The best ODI chaser the game has ever seen.

If there's anyone in the world who can come close to the numbers generated by God himself, it's this man. Virat Kohli is possibly the ODI chaser the game has ever seen. His ODI record at this stage is second to none, not even Sachin Tendulkar.

He has taken ODI batting to another level. He even has the record of the fastest ODI century by an Indian (52 balls). With him being at the helm now, Indian cricket is bound to succeed.

Runs: 9030 @ avg. 55.74; S.R. : 91.73.

MS Dhoni (C) (WK)

The Best Indian ODI captain ever.

MS Dhoni's contribution to Indian cricket is second to none. He has everything in his cabinet, from the World Cup to the Champions Trophy. He has been a pillar in Indian cricket for more than 13 years now. Before him, India had struggled to find a wicket-keeper who could bat well, and Dhoni put an end to that problem. His finishing abilities and match awareness over the years have been commendable.

Runs: 9898 @ avg. 51.55; S.R.: 88.46

Yuvraj Singh

The man of big tournaments

2011 World Cup, 2002 Natwest Series and 2008 CB series in Australia. What's common in them? This man's immense contribution to the team's cause. He has been vital in every historic series India has won post in the last 17 years, such are his match-winning abilities.

He has been a fighter and proved it by making a comeback to cricket after suffering a life threatening disease like cancer. He played an instrumental role in India's World Cup triumph in 2011 and was awarded Man of the Series for his all-round show.

Runs: 8701 @ avg. 36.56; S.R.: 87.68

Lower Order

Kapil Dev

1983 World Glory is the major reason behind India's love towards cricket.

Kapil Dev is one of the architects of India's dominance as a cricketing nation. He was the one who inspired a generation to take up cricket as a profession.

His innings of 175 against Zimbabwe is still considered to be the best World Cup innings by an Indian. He has been an absolute ambassador of the game. He took India to World Cup victory when no one even imagined India being in the knockout stages.

Runs: 3783 @ avg. 23.79; S.R.: 95.07

Wickets: 253 @ avg. 27.45; Eco.: 3.72

Harbhajan Singh

Bhajji has been a match winner with the ball in his hand.

Harbhajan will go down as one of the greatest finger spinners of all times. He was always the go-to man for every Indian captain in a crisis situation. He had the ability to turn the match around with a magical spell of bowling. In addition to that, he was pretty handy with the bat.

Wickets: 269 @ avg. 33.36; Eco.: 4.31

Tailenders

Anil Kumble

Kumble will always be remembered for his gritty attitude.

Known to fans as 'Jumbo,' Kumble never had the ability to turn the ball as much as Warne or Muralitharan could. Yet he is among the top wicket takers of all time.

This is just because of his determination and the will to succeed. It is difficult to forget his magical spell of 6/12 against the Windies in the 1993 Hero Cup final, which was for a long time best bowling figures by an Indian in limited overs cricket.

Wickets: 337 @ avg. 30.9; Eco.: 4.31

Zaheer Khan

Indian bowling's longest serving spearhead.

Zaheer Khan, just like Yuvraj Singh, has always been an integral part in the team's success since his debut in 2000. He has to be India's best ever limited overs pacer of all time. He had everything in his arsenal: the slower ball, in-swinging yorker, outswingers and the knuckle ball. The knuckle ball was one delivery that he had developed himself, and now many players are using it.

Wickets: 282 @ avg. 29.44; Eco.: 4.93

Javagal Srinath

Javagal Srinath was one of the fastest bowlers to have played for India.

Javagal Srinath is another Indian bowler who spent a lot of his career on the side-lines throughout his career owing to injuries and team combinations. Yet, he ended up being one of the highest wicket takers for India in ODI cricket. He formed a potent pace attack in the partnership of Nehra and Zaheer in the 2003 World Cup to take India to the finals.

Wickets: 315 @ avg. 28.05; Eco.: 4.45