Indian All Time Test XI

[Rachael]

Tony Greig's all time best Indian Test XI (in batting order)

1. Sunil Gavaskar (captain)
2. Rahul Dravid
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Mohammad Azharuddin
5. Vijay Hazare
6. Kapil Dev
7. Farokh Engineer (wicketkeeper)
8. Anil Kumble
9. Bishan Bedi
10. EAS Prasanna
11. Javagal Srinath

Cricinfo - 'Prasanna - the toughest I've faced' - Greig

[greg]

I don't know anything about Hazare,but one glitch is having Dravid as an opener,surely he should be at 3 where he has been brilliant for years but i guess with so much batting talent you are struggling to find places for them all.

Decent spin attack for home games but the pace attack would struggle away.

[Nostromo]

My choice would be

1. Sunil Gavaskar
2. Vinoo Mankad
3. Mo Azharuddin
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Vijay Hazare (captain)
6. Rahul Dravid
7. Faroukh Engineer
8. Kapil Dev
9. Zaheer Khan
10.EAS Prasanna
11.Javagal Srinath

Hazare was one of the best batsmen that India ever produced and unlike the big-headed Gavaskar, he was also a respected captain. Mankad was good but very inconsistent as an opening batsman, but he was a very good left arm spinner and added that extra to the bowling attack. I think the 2-pace / 3-spinner attack is risky even on slow pitches and even with Tendulkar available to do his part-timers, we need an additional paceman with Kapil & Srinath. Cannot think of anyone immediatly, but Zaheer Khan is a possibility. I think he is a better bowler than his record suggests and being a left armer, gives that variey to the attack.

With No:3 taken by Azharuddin, I think the other best place for Dravid would be at No:6 where he can hold the innings together if there is an early setback. I also like the choice of Engineer as the 'keeper; he was a better batsman than his modest Test record suggests and would do well with a strong team.

Mo Azharuddin might just pip Polly Umrigar to the No:3 spot, but it would be very very close.

[Django]

My team would be:

1. Sunil Gavaskar
2. Vijay Merchant
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Col C K Nayudu
5. Vijay Hazare
6. Polly Umrigar
7. SMH Kirmani
8. Kapil Dev
9. Mohammed Nissar
10. BS Bedi
11. EAS Prasanna
12th Man : MH Mankad

Merchant's first class average of 71.64 (second only to the "Don") makes him an automatic choice. After watching him in 1932, CB Fry is reported to have commented "Let us paint him white and take him with us to Australia". Vijay Merchant is without doubt one of the best batsmen in the game.

Col CK Nayudu is considered to the "Father of Indian cricket" and his exploits in the early 1920s, against visiting teams to India, are well documented.

[Warne]

Gavaskar
Dravid
Tendulkar
Vishwanath
Azharuddin/Vinoo Mankad
Kapil Dev
Kirmani
Chandrashekhar
Bedi
Srinath
Md. Nissar(am told he was very very fast)

[Aurelius]

I love these!

1. Gavaskar
2. Sehwag
3. Dravid (c)
4. Tendulkar
5. Viswanath
6. Engineer
7. Kapil Dev
8. Kumble
9. Bedi
10. Srinath
11. Prassana

12. Azharuddin

Only choices I've made that are different are Sehwag and Viswanath. I think the agressive Sehwag would make an excellent foil for Gavaskar, and I genuinely believe that he's the second-best opener India has ever produced- I think his performances against the pace attacks of Australia, South Africa and Pakistan bear testimony to this. I understand Viswanath was a pretty decent player of pace bowling, as well, and he was more consistent than Azharuddin if you look at the 50's-to-innings ratios. M.A. makes twelfth man for his fielding abilities. I suppose Dravid would have to be the captain, although if Dhoni becomes good enough to break into the team (I thought he looked pretty good, myself, plus Ian Chappell says he has the potential to be an excellent 'keeper) then he could take the skipper's job, as I was very impressed with his agressive captaincy during the India-Aust. ODIs. Let's not forget, either, that Greig almost chose him even at this stage.

[engssmoothcriminal]

Well my XI would be;
Sunil Gavaskar
Navjot Singh Sidhu
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Mohammed Azharrudin
Kapil Dev
Vinoo Mankad
Farokh Engineer (wk)
Anil Kumble
Javagal Srinath
Baghwat Chandrasekhar or (for lack of better options) Zaheer Khan depending on pitch conditions

12th man; Solkar no question

The final battting slot was the main area of contention. Nostromo's promotion of Mankad to accomidate Hazare is probably the correct decision but Sidhu's assaults on Embury and Warne are just so firmly lodged in the memory and my personal preference of playing players in their natural positions means that he sneaks in ahead of some arguabley superior batsmen. It may be a tad unbalanced to have both Kumble and Chandrasekhar in the same attack but then had I picked Bedi you would have had the two SLA (oh for a world class off spinner ) and in a toss up between two evenly matched bowlers I simply have to go for the extra match winning potential of the wrist spin option.

[Aurelius]

It may be a tad unbalanced to have both Kumble and Chandrasekhar in the same attack but then had I picked Bedi you would have had the two SLA (oh for a world class off spinner )

Erapalli Prasanna was a world-class off-spinner- just read what Tony Greig had to say about him in the article Rachael posted.

[engssmoothcriminal]

For some reason I had Prasanna down in my head as another leggie. Okay then he comes in for Chandresekhar.

[ajanta]

My team would be:
1. Vijay Merchant
2. Sunil Gavaskar
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Rahul Dravid
5. VVS Laxman
6. Kapil Dev(Captain)
7. Faroukh Engineer(WK)
8. Anil Kumble
9. BS Bedi
10. Zaheer Khan
11. Javagal Srinath
12th man: MH. Azharuddin

My team is same as others except one i.e., Laxman. Many would think why I had Laxman in the squad. But according to me I think the innings which he played at Kolkata against Australia was the best among many Indian cricketers. Even in the books of wisdom that innings is counted as one of the best from many great innings. So how can we forget that man who has played that innings? Everyone knows that the Indians are under tremendous pressure. Laxman was the man who has clinch the victory from the opponents mouth and made the dream comes true. That is why I think he should be in the team.