A right-handed Asian ODI XI of the 21st century
The beginning of the 21st century saw a power shift in the cricketing world. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka established themselves as powerhouses and began exerting their dominance, which was not the case in the 20th century.
Bangladesh too came up trumps at big cricketing events and produced some moments of individual brilliance that signaled the nation's arrival on the big stage.
Asian countries now had match winners, who, on their day, had the potential to win games on their own. These four countries shared a fierce rivalry with each other but how strong would a combined Asian playing XI look?
Well, let us have a look at an XI consisting of legends from these four Asian countries, who bat and bowl right-handed.
Openers
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar, the little master, would open the batting. He will try to get the team off to electrifying starts. Arguably the greatest of his generation, the right-hander had all the bases covered when it came to batting.
He flourished in testing conditions, as his defence was flawless. He presented a very straight bat while playing strokes and this helped him to make runs all over the world.
Tendulkar had the ability to judge the lenghts of deliveries very early and so, he had a lot of time at his disposal to play strokes, even against the quickest of bowlers.
He is regarded as one of the greats to have ever played the game and he is a role model for the younger generations.
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma, the explosive Indian opener, will open the batting for this side as well. He is just the type of player who is required at the top of the batting order to maximize the power-plays and to set the tone for the rest of the innings.
Sharma, who is an exquisite stroke-maker, usually takes some time to get going at the start, but once he gets the feel of the surface, he is quite hard to bowl at.
He is particularly strong of the back foot and he makes batting look incredibly effortless by his natural gift of time. His strokes are truly pleasing to the eye.
