Many great players have contributed to Indian cricket and helped in winning many trophies and series. In the ODI cricket format, India has won a total of 4 ICC trophies so far, which include the World Cup 1983, Champions Trophy 2002, World Cup 2011, and Champions Trophy 2013. In this article, we are going to talk about India’s best all-time playing XI in ODI cricket.
India’s Best All-Time Playing XI in ODI Cricket:
In ODI cricket, many Indian players have performed better in different matches. Below we are going to tell you about India’s best all-time playing XI.
Openers: Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly
Whenever there is talk of the best openers in India, the names of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly definitely come into it. Sachin is the highest run-scorer in the world as an opener in ODI cricket, with 15,310 runs in 340 innings.
Apart from this, left-handed batsman, Sourav Ganguly has played many great innings for the Indian team and has also won the match. As an opener, he has scored 9146 runs in 236 innings. He is second only to Sachin in the list of highest run-scorers for India and 5th in the world.
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Middle Order Batsmen: Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Azharuddin
There have been many such middle-order batsmen in the history of Indian cricket, who have performed very well for their team and have scored many runs. Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, and Mohammad Azharuddin are the biggest contenders for India’s best all-time playing XI in ODI cricket.
Virat Kohli has scored the most runs for India batting at number three, while Rahul Dravid and Azharuddin have been playing at different numbers and have done well for the Indian team in their time.
All-rounders: Kapil Dev and Yuvraj Singh
Kapil Dev and Yuvraj Singh are two such all-rounders of Indian cricket, who have led the Indian team to victory in the World Cup by performing brilliantly. Kapil Dev, while captaining the 1983 World Cup and performing well in batting and bowling, led the team considered the underdog to win the World Cup at that time.
Apart from this, Yuvraj Singh performed better in both the batting and bowling department for India in the World Cup 2011 and was also named Man of the Series. Both the all-rounders are among the best players of their time.
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Wicketkeeper: MS Dhoni (Captain)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is considered to be the best wicketkeeper and captain in the history of Indian cricket. Under Dhoni’s leadership, the Indian team has won two ICC trophies in the ODI format, including the World Cup 2011 and the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Apart from this, MS Dhoni is also the highest run-scorer for India. Not only this, but he is also the wicket-keeper with the most stumpings and catches from India. Dhoni also holds the record of scoring the most runs for India at numbers 5 and 6 in the ODI format.
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Bowlers: Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, and Javagal Srinath
Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, and Javagal Srinath’s names will definitely be there whenever the names of the best bowlers in Indian cricket history are taken in the ODI format. Anil Kumble is the highest wicket-taker for India in ODI cricket.
Apart from this, the record for taking the most wickets among Indian fast bowlers is held by Javagal Srinath, who has also been a part of the 2003 World Cup. In this tournament, he was second on the list of bowlers taking the most wickets for India.
Apart from this, Zaheer Khan has commanded the fast bowling of the Indian team for more than a decade and has also led his team to victory in many matches. He was the highest wicket-taker for India in the World Cup 2011 and 2003.