The head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, Gautam Gambhir named his all-time India XI, snubbing some of the top players that the country is producing. With only XI members to be picked, Gambhir had no choice but to pick some and leave out the others. The former India opening batter had to make some tough choices as he named the XI, but the decision to snub current ODI captain Rohit Sharma and marquee pacer Jasprit Bumrah left many surprised.
In a chat with Sportskeeda, Gambhir picked himself and Virender Sehwag as the opening duo, leaving out current skipper Rohit Sharma, who is widely considered one of the finest openers the game has produced. At No. 3 came the man Gambhir replaced as the head coach of the Indian team, Rahul Dravid.
At No. 4, Gambhir picked the GOAT Sachin Tendulkar, followed by the modern-cricket great Virat Kohli. Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni were picked at the No. 6 and No. 7 spots respectively. In the batting unit, even the great Sourav Ganguly found no place in the team.
Gambhir picking himself ahead of Ganguly !! And no Kapil Dev or Bumrah
— Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng) September 1, 2024
In the spin-bowling department, Anil Kumble earned the nod from Gambhir at the No. 8 spot while Ravichandran Ashwin came in at the No. 9 spot. There was no place for Harbhajan Singh in the list.
odi
— Rajiv Sharma (@rajivsharma94) September 1, 2024
When it comes to the pace bowling unit, Gambhir went with the pairing of Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan. Surprisingly, Gambhir didn’t pick Jasprit Bumrah, the ‘Kohinoor‘ of Indian cricket who has often been dubbed as the finest seamer the country has ever produced.
Known to not mince his words while sharing opinions on different topics in the cricketing spectrum, Gambhir made some big choices as he assembled the team. Fans were understandably left to wonder a few decisions.
Gambhir’s all-time XI for India: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Anil Kumble, Ravichandran Ashwin, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan
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