All-time World ODI XI post-2000
Over the years, cricket has evolved a lot, more specifically ODI cricket. Initially, when the ODI game started it was viewed as a mini Test match where the batsmen treated the opening phase like a Test match and gradually increased the scoring rate. Scores in excess of 200 were considered decent.
However, it was the 1996 World Cup that changed the dynamics of batting especially at the top of the order. Players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Saeed Anwar started attacking the bowlers in the first 15 overs and scoring briskly during that period.
Now, with the advent of T20 cricket, ODIs have been revolutionized. The modern-day players see it as an extended T20 match. Such has been the proficiency of the modern-day batsmen that scores in excess of 300 runs have become just par these days.
So, today we look at the greats of the game, who have carried the game forward from the 1980s, 1990s etc and revolutionized it and changed it to what it is today.
The team combination will be of 5 batsmen, 1 Wicket-keeper, 1 All-Rounder, 4 bowlers (3 pacers and 1 spinner) not necessarily in the same order. Also, please note that players who are currently playing International Cricket have not been considered.
#1) Sachin Tendulkar (India)
Sachin Tendulkar is a former Indian international cricketer and a former captain of the Indian national team, regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He is the highest run scorer of all time in International cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar is universally considered the greatest batsman to have ever played the game. While a few other greats might have scored runs at the same pace as Sachin, none of them boasts of Tendulkar's longevity.
In an incredibly long career, Tendulkar has played in 6 World Cups, a feat matched by only one player in the history of cricket. Tendulkar also possessed the 'golden arm' that could break partnerships at critical junctures and change the course of the match.
In 463 matches for India, he has scored a staggering 18,426 runs at an astonishing average of 44.83 and at an amazing strike rate of 86.24, which is significantly better than any of his contemporaries, especially in the 1990s and early 2000s. His attacking gameplay and consistent performances truly revolutionized the sport of cricket.
Such is his status in the world of cricket that he is an automatic choice for Opener no. 1 in the side.