Dinesh Karthik picks his all-time Indian XI across formats; Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli included
Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik recently picked his all-time Men in Blue playing XI across formats. He picked five designated batters, two all-rounders, two spinners, and two pacers in a video shared by Cricbuzz on YouTube.
Karthik named Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma as two of his openers. The two are the fiercest hitters of the ball and are a nightmare to opposition bowlers. Sehwag boasts a strike rate of over 100 in the white-ball formats, while he strikes at a rate of 82.23 in Tests. Rohit, on the other hand, has been in blistering form of late. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup with 257 runs at a strike rate of 156.70.
Former Indian skipper and head coach Rahul Dravid was picked as the No. 3 batter, while Sachin Tendulkar will bat at No. 4. The two Indian legends need no introduction.
Tendulkar is the only batter on the planet to score 100 international centuries. Dravid, on the other hand, is referred to as 'The Wall'. The right-hander is known to bat for long sessions and save India from collapses on multiple occasions. He has scored over 24,000 international runs with 48 centuries and 146 fifties.
Former Indian skipper and arguably the greatest batter in the world at present, Virat Kohli, was picked at No. 5. Kohli, with 80 centuries, is the only batter who can realistically scale Tendulkar's 100 international tons.
Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja are the two all-rounders in Dinesh Karthik's all-time India's playing XI across all formats. Yuvraj is arguably the best all-rounder to don the Indian jersey and was one of the key architects in India's World Cup wins in 2007 (T20) and 2011 (ODI).
Jadeja, on the other hand, has been one of the mainstays in India's playing XI across three formats for almost a decade now. His accuracy while bowling and scoring the crucial runs makes him almost a legend in Indian cricket.
Jasprit Bumrah headlines Dinesh Karthik's all-time India's playing XI across formats
Ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah, who had an exceptional outing in the 2024 T20 World Cup, leads the pace unit in Karthik's playing XI. Bumrah is arguably the best bowler in the world across formats and his ability to bamboozle batters with his variations and accurate yorkers makes him a rare talent.
World Cup winner Zaheer Khan will share the new ball alongside Bumrah. The left-arm pacer made key contributions in the 2011 ODI World Cup win at home. He has 600-plus wickets in international cricket and was often compared to legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram for being a great exponent of reverse swing.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Anil Kumble will lead the spin attack to complete Dinesh Karthik's playing XI. Both have served Indian cricket for a very long time and are legends in their own rights.
Another legendary off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was named as the 12th man by Dinesh Karthik.
Dinesh Karthik's playing XI: Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble, Jasprit Bumrah, and Zaheer Khan.
12th man: Harbhajan Singh.