No MS Dhoni! Cheteshwar Pujara reveals his all-time India teammates XI

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Picking an all-time XI is never an easy exercise, especially when the country in question has produced generations of legendary cricketers. Putting all those greats into one team is almost impossible because every era has had players who left their own mark on the game. India’s cricketing history is packed with icons, making the task even more challenging. Cheteshwar Pujara recently faced that dilemma while selecting his all-time India teammates XI, and his choices have certainly sparked plenty of debate.

Pujara, who represented India in 103 Tests between 2010 and 2023, picked a formidable combination of batting experience, wicketkeeping brilliance and bowling quality. Interestingly, his XI features several players he shared the dressing room with during his international career.

Pujara went with Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag as his opening pair. Dravid finished his Test career with 13,288 runs from 164 matches, including 36 centuries and 63 fifties. Sehwag, meanwhile, accumulated 8,586 runs in 104 Tests, with 23 hundreds and 32 fifties.

At No. 3, Pujara selected himself. The Saurashtra batter scored 7,195 runs in 103 Tests, including 19 centuries, and built his reputation as one of India’s most dependable red-ball batters.

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar occupies No. 4. India’s most prolific Test run-scorer amassed 15,921 runs in 200 matches, along with 51 centuries and 68 fifties. Virat Kohli follows at No. 5, having scored 9,230 Test runs in 123 matches, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties.

VVS Laxman takes the No. 6 position. The stylish Hyderabad batter accumulated 8,781 runs in 134 Tests, including 17 centuries and 56 fifties.

Rishabh Pant was Pujara’s wicketkeeper at No. 7. Pant has already scored 3,725 runs in 52 Tests, including eight centuries and 21 fifties, while also establishing himself as one of India’s most aggressive wicketkeeper-batters.

Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin form the spin combination. Jadeja has 4,160 Test runs and 311 wickets, while Ashwin retired after collecting 3,503 runs and 537 wickets in 106 Tests.

The pace attack features Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Bumrah has 234 Test wickets from 52 matches, while Shami has claimed 229 wickets in 64 Tests. Ishant Sharma was named as the 12th man, with his 311 Test wickets from 105 matches making him an experienced reserve option.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s all-time teammates XI: Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, VVS Laxman, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Ishant Sharma is the 12th man.

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The biggest talking point from Pujara’s selection is undoubtedly the absence of MS Dhoni. The legendary wicketkeeper-batter played 90 Tests for India, scoring 4,876 runs, including six centuries and 33 fifties. Dhoni’s omission is particularly surprising because Pujara made his Test debut during Dhoni’s captaincy in 2010. The two therefore shared the Indian dressing room during a crucial phase of Pujara’s early international career.

However, Pujara opted for Pant behind the stumps, highlighting just how highly he rates the younger wicketkeeper-batter. His decision also shows how difficult it is to accommodate every Indian great in a single XI, even when the choices involve legends such as Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane.

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