Strongest Asian ODI XI featuring 11 captains

Cricket was born in England but the game has flourished the most in the continent of Asia, especially South Asia. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka contribute the major chunk of the total cricket viewing population across the world.

The story of Afghanistan's rise in international cricket is of great inspiration to the cricketing world as they proved that it is possible to compete against the big teams in cricket in a short duration of time.

The Asian teams have also proven their mettle in the ICC World Cup as three of the five World Cup winning nations are from Asia - India (1983, 2011), Pakistan (1992), and Sri Lanka (1996).

The good performance of the Asia teams on the world stage is an outcome of contributions made by great cricketers, especially the men leading these teams from the front. With the 2019 World Cup set to start in less than a year's time, let us take a look at the Asian ODI XI of all time featuring 11 captains.

*Only players who captained more than 50 ODIs were considered for the list*

*All the stats are updated till 22nd September, 2018*

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#1 Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)

Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya is definitely the most attacking batsman Sri Lanka has ever produced. The attacking style of batting which was first put on show by him in the mid-1990s has transformed the game of cricket completely. He came into the 1996 World Cup with a batting average of 19.53 from 98 ODIs and has evolved into a better player since then.

In the World Cup which changed Sri Lankan cricket for the better, Jayasuriya score 221 runs at an average of 36.83 but his strike rate of 131.54 made it a commendable effort. In addition to his batting, he took 7 wickets with the ball and was involved in 5 catches during the tournament. As a result of his efforts, he was adjudged the player of the tournament as he helped his side to lift the prestigious trophy.

As a captain, Jayasuriya scored 4377 runs with a batting average of 38.73 in 118 matches. His average as captain was better than his career average of 32.36. With the ball, he scalped 92 wickets in 106 innings as a captain. Sanath Jayasuriya was a complete player who could demoralise any bowling attack with the ball and he was a timely wicket-taker with the ball too.

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#2 Sourav Ganguly (India)

Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly's contribution to Indian cricket is of immense value. He led the Indian team to the final of the 2003 ICC World Cup. Even after his retirement, India enjoyed the fruits of his work in the form of the 2011 World Cup. Ganguly fondly called as Dada identified many talents - Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni - who were key to India's success in the tournament in 2011.

During his tenure as the captain, Dada scored as many as 5082 runs in 146 matches. Of the 22 centuries that he scored during his career, 11 were as a captain. In addition to his exploits with the bat, he was very handy with the ball too. He accounted for 46 scalps in the 79 games where he bowled as a captain. Ganguly did not get the right reception at the fag end of his career but his services to the nation are well remembered the by the cricket fans of India.

#3 Virat Kohli (India)

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli with his consistent performances is definitely one of the legends of the modern era. While he has an impeccable record in ODIs, his batting average as captain is outrageous. He has an average of 82.67 in the 52 matches that he has captained so far, which is quite higher than his career average of 58.20 in ODIs.

During his stint as captain, he has scored 3059 runs with a strike rate of 98.74. He also has notched up 13 centuries in 49 innings in addition to 13 half-centuries. The conversion rate itself shows the zeal in him to score more and more runs for the team. His highest score as a captain came against South Africa in Cape Town early this year. Kohli's unbeaten 160 in the first innings helped India win the match by 124 runs.

#4 Inzaman Ul Haq (Pakistan)

Inzaman Ul Haq

Inzaman Ul Haq was the best batsmen to have ever played for Pakistan. He is the leading run scorer for Pakistan in ODIs and is placed at third in Tests. In his illustrious career spanning over 16 years, he scored 11739 runs in 350 innings. He still remains the only Pakistani batsman to score more than 10,000 runs in ODI cricket.

More than ten years after his debut in 1991, Inzamam was handed over the captaincy in 2002. As a captain, he scored 2771 runs with an average close to 44, which is higher than his career average of 39.53. Even his strike rate saw an improvement as a captain as it increased from 74.24 (career) to 83.23. Inzamam retired from ODI cricket after Pakistan's shock exit from the 2007 World Cup but his exploits with the bat are still fresh in the minds of cricket lovers.

#5 Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka)

Arjuna Ranatunga

Arjuna Ranatunga, who captained the Sri Lankan team for 11 years, not just transformed Sri Lankan cricket but also played a key role in how the batsman approached the powerplay overs. He helped the Sri Lankan side to transform from a weak unit to a competitive side during his captaincy. He led the Island Nation to their greatest cricket triumph in the 1996 World Cup.

Of the 7456 runs that Ranatunga scored in his ODI career, 5608 runs came as the captain of the Sri Lankan team. Ranatunga's highest score of 131* as a batsman came in 1997 against India in Colombo. Chasing down a target of 228 set by India, the captain himself scored more than half of his team's runs and ensured that he stayed in the middle to help his side smoothly sail past the target.

#6 MS Dhoni - c & wk(India)

MS Dhoni

After India's shock exit from the 2007 World Cup, India were blessed with a captain who was born to lead. After the debacle in the ODI World Cup, Dhoni brought home the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 itself. A little while later, Dhoni was also made the ODI captain and then began the Dhoni era in Indian cricket.

Under MS Dhoni's captaincy India fulfilled the 28-year long wait by winning the World Cup in 2011. The winning six by him against Sri Lanka at the Wankhade stadium is firmly etched in the memories of every Indian cricket fan and will be cherished for many years.

in the 199 matches that he captained India, he scored 6633 runs with an average of 53.92 at a strike rate of 86.29. Last year, he stepped down as the captain of the ODI side so that the new captain, Virat Kohli had enough time to settle in before the 2019 World Cup. Once a leader, always a leader and Dhoni has proved that time and again. Even though he is not the captain he has been there to guide the youngsters in the team.

#7 Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan has been the flag bearer of Bangladesh cricket for more than a decade. He has represented his side in many leagues across the world and has also performed for his country exceptionally with the bat and the ball. The fact that he has been at the top of the all-rounders' ranking charts of ODIs and Tests is in itself a testimony of the great work done by him.

Shakib, who made his debut for Bangladesh in 2006, captained his side for the first time in 2009. During the 2011 World Cup, he led his side to victory against England. Later in the same year, Shakib was sacked as the captain after his side's loss to Zimbabwe. During his captaincy tenure, he scored 1547 runs with an average of 35.97 in 50 matches. In addition to that, he also picked up 68 wickets in those matches.

#8 Kapil Dev (India)

Kapil Dev India 175 not out V Zimbabwe 1983 Cricket World Cup

Kapil Dev is the best all-rounder India has ever produced and the search for a player of such qualities has never ended. During his captaincy tenure of 74 matches, the ace Indian all-rounder led the Indian team to glory in the World Cup for the first time in 1983. The victory marked the start of a new age in Indian cricket as it helped increase the popularity of the game in India by leaps and bounds.

Kapil Dev's masterclass innings with the bat came in the 1983 World Cup against Zimbabwe when he rescued the Indian team which had lost 5 quick wickets with a valiant 175* that helped India win the game. In the 67 matches that he played as a captain, he scored 1574 runs that too at a strike rate of 105.74, which in itself is an incredible feat.

#9 Imran Khan (Pakistan)

Imran Khan led Pakistan to the 1999 World Cup title

Imran Khan is undoubtedly the best cricketer produced by Pakistan, and one of the greatest all-rounders the game of cricket has ever seen. 26 years after leading his side to the World Cup title, Imran Khan has also managed to ace the political arena as he became the Prime Minister of Pakistan. During his ODI career spanning over 18 years, Imran Khan had a batting average of 33.41 and bowling average of 26.21.

Imran Khan led the Pakistan team for a good span of 10 years starting from 1982. In his tenure as the Pakistan captain, he scored 3247 runs at a average of 34.91. With the ball, he picked up 131 wickets in 117 innings.

One interesting thing about Khan's career that many followers of the game might be unaware of is his retirement. After the 1987 World Cup, Imran Khan retired from international cricket but in 1988, he rejoined the team after a request from the President of Pakistan, General Zia-Ul-Haq who asked him to captain the side in 1992.

#10 Wasim Akram (Pakistan)

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram is one of the greatest fast bowlers ever seen by the game of cricket. He holds the record for the most wickets by any fast bowler in ODI cricket. In the 356 ODI games played by him, he had 502 scalps to his name, only behind Muttiah Muralitharan who took 534 ODI wickets. In addition to that, he was also a handy batsman down the order, scoring 3717 runs in ODIs with a strike rate of 88.33.

As a captain, Akram played 109 matches and in those matches, he picked 158 wickets and held the record for being a bowler with the most wickets as a captain. He was the natural successor to Imran Khan but the match fixing controversies of the 1990s ratted his captaincy career.

#11 Waqar Younis (Pakistan)

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis along with Wasim Akram formed one of the most feared bowling attacks in the history of cricket. Waqar is just behind his bowling partner on the list of highest wicket-takers with 416 scalps to his name in ODIs. In an age when fast and short bowling was the go-to weapon, Waqar started the trend of bowling full, aiming for the batsmen's toes.

Waqar Younis captained Pakistan during 2001-03. In the 62 matches that he was leading the team, Waqar accounted for 97 wickets with an average of 24.29. Even his best figures of 7-36 came as a captain against England in Leeds. Waqar's career ended after Pakistan's show in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.