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On the occasion of his 60th birthday, veteran cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle picked his all-time India Test XI, featuring some of the most celebrated icons in Indian cricket.
Starting with the openers, Harsha went with former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and explosive batter Virender Sehwag. Gavaskar was the first player to breach the 10,000-run mark in the longest format, while Sehwag was the first Indian to score a triple century in red-ball cricket.
When it comes to the middle-order, Harsha picked ‘Mr Dependable’ Rahul Dravid, batting phenom Sachin Tendulkar and modern-day great Virat Kohli. Both Tendulkar and Dravid ended their Test careers as India’s highest run-getters.
While Sachin made 15,921 runs from 200 games, Dravid amassed 13,265 runs in 163 matches. Kohli, on the other hand, is the leading run-scorer for India among active cricketers. The Indian skipper has 7547 runs to his name in 92 Tests.
Harsha named former captains MS Dhoni and Kapil Dev for number six and seven positions, respectively. Dhoni scored 4876 runs from 90 matches, whereas Kapil made 5248 runs in 131 Tests. Kapil is also the second-highest wicket-taker for India, with 434 scalps to his credit.
Among the bowlers, Harsha picked Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan as two specialist pacers while Ravichandran Ashwin and Anil Kumble as spinners. Kumble finished his Test career as the highest wicket-taker for India. He has taken 619 scalps in red-ball cricket.
Similarly, Ashwin is the leading wicket-taker for India among active cricketers. He has bagged 413 scalps from 79 matches. On the other hand, Zaheer managed to pick 311 wickets in 92 games.
Harsha Bhogle’s all-time India Test XI:
Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Kapil Dev, Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan.
