With the end of the 2010s, Kerala One-Day and T20 skipper Robin Uthappa has picked his ODI team of the decade. He named MS Dhoni as the captain of his team.
Uthappa, who was a part of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup-winning side under Dhoni, picked as many as four Indians in his elite XI, which looks a strong one with a host of stars in it.
Apart from Dhoni, Uthappa picked Indian opener Rohit Sharma to open his batting attack along with West Indies’ power-hitter Chris Gayle. Current Indian skipper Kohli has been kept at number three, followed by Steve Smith and AB de Villiers at No. 4 and 5, respectively.
Yuvraj Singh, who was the man of the tournament in the 2011 World Cup, and captain Dhoni, will bat in the lower middle order followed by the star of the World Cup 2019 final, Ben Stokes from England as the all-rounder of the team.
Among the bowlers, Uthappa picked the Kiwi veteran Daniel Vettori as the only frontline spinner. Vettori played an integral role in the 2015 World Cup when New Zealand reached the finals for the very first time. He, along with Yuvraj Singh, will be the two spinners in Uthappa’s XI.
Lasith Malinga, the highest wicket-taker in the last decade in one-day internationals, was an automatic choice.
Malinga scalped 248 wickets from 2010-19. Zaheer Khan will share the new ball with Malinga. The former left-arm Indian pacer was exceptional in the death-overs and was the joint highest wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup.
Gary Kirsten, who was the coach of Team India in the 2011 World Cup, which India won, was named as the head coach of the team.
Robin Uthappa’s ODI team of the decade:
Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, AB de Villiers, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (c), Ben Stokes, Daniel Vettori, Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga.
Head coach: Gary Kirsten
