Greg Chappell names Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag in Test XI of players he would pay to watchÂ
Virat Kohli is the only present-day player Greg Chappell would pay to watch, the former India head coach has revealed. In a column for the Sydney Morning Herald, Greg Chappell named his most exciting Test XI of the past six decades, and two Indian players made the cut.
The legendary batsman's dream team features two Indians, four Australians, two players from the West Indies, and player one each from Pakistan, South Africa and England.
Virat Kohli edges Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Smith, Brian Lara in Greg Chappell's Test XI
Greg Chappell heaped praise on Sachin Tendulkar, but decided to go with Virat Kohli at number five. The Australian backed his decision to go with Kohli by saying the Indian batsman shouldered the expectations of over a billion people whenever he walked out to bat.
In Chappell's opinion, that gave the likes of Kohli and Tendulkar the edge over other batting legends such as Steve Smith, Brian Lara, and Neil Harvey.
Chappell went with former India batsman Virender Sehwag at the top of the order. He lauded Sehwag's ability to terrorise bowlers and smash them to all corners of the park, describing him as 'more than just a kamikaze-style basher'.
For Sehwag's opening partner, Chappell went with Colin Milburn, who played nine Tests for England in the 1960s before tragically losing his eyesight. The line-up also features Adam Gilchrist, with Chappell choosing former India captain MS Dhoni as his back-up wicketkeeper.
Greg Chappell named former West Indies all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers as the captain of his team. Former India bowlers Kapil Dev and Erapalli Prasanna also received honourable mentions from Chappell. The team was finished by the inclusions of Australia bowling legends Shane Warne, Dennis Lillee, and Jeff Thomson.
Greg Chappell's most exciting Test XI: Virender Sehwag, Colin Milburn, Sir Vivian Richards, Graeme Pollock, Virat Kohli, Sir Garfield Sobers, Adam Gilchrist, Wasim Akram, Shane Warne, Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson