Mumbai: Former Team India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane has selected his all-time Indian Test XI. However, he restricted his selection strictly to players with whom he has shared the field in international or domestic cricket.
Notably, Rahane did not include Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in his squad. He named MS Dhoni as the captain and wicketkeeper, explaining that Dhoni was his first captain in international cricket. Rahane picked Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan as his opening pair, followed by Rahul Dravid at No. 3 and Sachin Tendulkar at No. 4.
He chose himself to bat at No. 5. Dhoni features at No. 6, while Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were selected as the all-rounders and spin options. In the pace bowling department, Rahane went with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma.
Despite being India’s premier batters in recent years, neither Kohli nor Rohit found a place in Rahane’s team.
Rahane’s All-Time Test XI: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma.