India-Pakistan combined Test XI that can beat England in England
Recently, England has handed a thrashing to India in the second Test match of the series to take a lead of 2-0. It is a loss that has further strengthened a well-known fact that defeating England in England is a herculean task.
Historically as well, the subcontinent teams usually struggle in swinging and seaming conditions of England. But what if we send a combined Test team consisting of players from two Asian cricket giants, Pakistan and India? I know it’s not realistic for now, but sometimes dreams can be so enticing that you just can’t shy away from them.
After all who would not like a big partnership of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. Thoughts of Mohammad Amir and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling in tandem in cloudy skies of Headingley can be worth watching and the spin duo of R Ashwin and Yasir Shah can easily trouble the best of English batsmen on the fourth day at Lords. So let’s see who will make our Indo-Pak Test XI that can beat England in their own backyard.
1. Cheteshwar Pujara
A man with a compact defensive technique and a stable stance could play a vital role as an opener in the team. He has four and a half thousand Test runs with an average nearing 50’s. He has a determined mindset and his dogged approach draws comparisons with the Indian legend Rahul Dravid. He plays the ball as straight as possible and this can be crucial in English conditions.
2. Azhar Ali:
A man with a vast Test experience and sound technique will be our second opener of the team. He has mostly played at number 3 spot but his determination and composure have made him a very successful opener as well. After all his triple-century also came as an opener which justifies his ability to play the new ball.
It can be argued that both of our openers are quite defensive, but you have to bide your time and rely on your defence if you have to face James Anderson and Stuart Broad with the new ball in English conditions.