The selection of Shubman Gill for the Asia Cup might be debatable. Not because he is not good enough, but because the Test series against the West Indies commences three days after the final there. He will soon be an all-format captain.
T20 has evolved quickly thanks to the domestic franchises, and what, in another field, would be called continuous research. T20 progresses in a different culture altogether. Not surprisingly, the all-format player is becoming a rarity; impactful T20 players are not necessarily automatic selections for Tests, and vice versa.
Hence the obvious question: what is India’s best all-format team? India played (and won) their first-ever T20I in 2006, against South Africa, who like them, fielded a Test team. India’s game-altering World Cup win was a few months away. The IPL was in the future. The data-crunchers hadn’t yet got into their act, and it was all seen as a bit of a hit-and-giggle affair.
Any all-format team would have to be picked from players who actually took part in a T20I, which means the Kapil Devs, and Mohammad Azharuddins who might have been automatic selections won’t make it. Admittedly, this is a fantasy team, and there is an argument for including such players on the basis of what they have accomplished in other formats, but we need to draw a line somewhere. So no Kapil, Salim Durrani or Anil Kumble (although he did play for RCB in the IPL). The inevitable arguments can begin right here!
Great opening pair
Sachin Tendulkar played that inaugural match. He made only 10 runs, but considering he ended up with another 34,347 runs in all formats combined, with a hundred centuries and 201 wickets, it will be difficult to keep him out (not that one needs to).
He opens, therefore, with Rohit Sharma, who has more runs here than anyone else, and a strike rate of 141. Gill walks in at No. 3, secure in the knowledge that everything doesn’t depend on him, and he is free to play his natural game. For following him in the order is Virat Kohli, who at one time, averaged over 50 in each of the formats, and finished with nearly 49 in T20 and a strike rate of 137.
As the format evolves further, it is likely that the top half of the batting is expected to have a strike rate above 170 or so. Often a six-ball 20 might be more valuable in the cause than a 10-ball 18, avoiding dot balls more productive. There are theoreticians and experimenters in every team, the ideologues who decide the culture. Winning is everything, but knowing how to win is crucial.
At No. 5, do we pick Suresh Raina for his left-handedness or K.L. Rahul for his ability to make a difference regardless of format, or Rishabh Pant whose best may yet be ahead of him? Rahul and Pant are established Test men, which except briefly, Raina never was. So Raina misses out.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni to follow them gives the team an important match-winner in the lower half, a wicketkeeper and captain all in one. Dhoni has been one of the finest captains in the format, with the gift of doing the unexpected as he showed in his World Cup decision while handing the ball to Joginder Sharma and changed the face of international cricket.
Providing depth
Dhoni’s CSK teammate Ravindra Jadeja follows, ensuring batting depth and a crucial spinner. At nine would be Bhuvneshwar Kumar (who once had figures of five for four in an international), to be followed by the great Jasprit Bumrah, the figure likely to be in an all-time eleven in all formats taken either separately or collectively.
To clarify, some of the players above might not be in an all-time Test XI or in an all-time ODI XI. One of India’s most successful bowlers in the format, Yuzvendra Chahal completes the line-up.
The fun of choosing all-time XIs lies in the fact that with time, some players drop out as cricket changes and those who adapt better get more successful. It is the nature of sport. Five years on, it will be surprising if half our team above retain their places.
Published – September 03, 2025 12:30 am IST
