Best Indian XI 1976-2006

[Swervy]

Dont see why it doesn't make sense, especially in the sub-continent you would have Dev/Srinath with the new ball, Kumble/Chandra/Shastri spinning it, Shastri would help to strenghten the batting a lot plus a very good bowling option on the Indian tracks.

cant see how Shastri can come close to an XI squad like this one

 

[Swervy]

Any ideas on who would be a good third seamer for India - Prasad, Ghavri ,Munaf Patel ?

I always liked Chetan Sharma

 

[Pratters]

In extremely seam friendly conditions India is hard pressed. Would have to go with Karsan Ghavri given he was always a useful cricketer and could bat a bit as well. Zaheer Khan would have to perform better internationall if/when he is given a chance to come into the reckoning. I think had Prasad's career gone better, he could have walked into the team as a third seamer ahead of Ghavri but that in itself doesn't say much about Indian's seam talent in the past 30 years.

For other conditions, take your pick for the third spinner from Chandra, Prasanna, Doshi, Venkat and Harbhajan Singh.

Vishwanath vs. Azharuddin is easy for me. Vishy was at another level and I would have to go with him despite being a huge fan of Azhar's.

So my team would be very similar to that of Krishna's initial team while moving out a batsman for a bowler.

SM Gavaskar
V Sehwag
RS Dravid
SR Tendulkar
GS Vishvanath
Kapil Dev N (c)
SMH Kirmani
K Ghavri/third spinner
A Kumble
Srinath
Bedi

However, a solid argument can be forged that putting Ghavri in the team would be suicide considering the team would face other country best XI's hypothetically. Looking from that perspective, taking a third spinner instead of Ghavri seems the better way to go regardless of the conditions given any third seamer would be so crap.

 

[Swervy]

In extremely seam friendly conditions India is hard pressed. Would have to go with Karsan Ghavri given he was always a useful cricketer and could bat a bit as well. Zaheer Khan would have to perform better internationall if/when he is given a chance to come into the reckoning. I think had Prasad's career gone better, he could have walked into the team as a third seamer ahead of Ghavri but that in itself doesn't say much about Indian's seam talent in the past 30 years.

For other conditions, take your pick for the third spinner from Chandra, Prasanna, Doshi, Venkat and Harbhajan Singh.

Vishwanath vs. Azharuddin is easy for me. Vishy was at another level and I would have to go with him despite being a huge fan of Azhar's.

So my team would be very similar to that of Krishna's initial team while moving out a batsman for a bowler.

SM Gavaskar
V Sehwag
RS Dravid
SR Tendulkar
GS Vishvanath
Kapil Dev N (c)
SMH Kirmani
K Ghavri/third spinner
A Kumble
Srinath
Bedi

now dont get me wrong, Ghavri for some reason was one of my favourite players as a kid (not as good as the legendary Roger Binny of course ...but if Ghavri comes close to a 30year span XI, then times really have been bad. I would actually be more inclined top put Pathan in there....Munaf is close to as good as you will see bar Dev and Srinath...come on, some one pick Roger Binny

 

[Pratters]

now dont get me wrong, Ghavri for some reason was one of my favourite players as a kid (not as good as the legendary Roger Binny of course ...but if Ghavri comes close to a 30year span XI, then times really have been bad. I would actually be more inclined top put Pathan in there....Munaf is close to as good as you will see bar Dev and Srinath...come on, some one pick Roger Binny

Or pick a spinner Also, agree with you. Two years or even 12 months down the line, Patel would be the fair option for a 30 span XI if he progresses properly. Or maybe he is already given the apalling situation..

 

[Swervy]

Or pick a spinner Also, agree with you. Two years or even 12 months down the line, Patel would be the fair option for a 30 span XI if he progresses properly. Or maybe he is already given the apalling situation..

he certainly has the potential.

Actually, if pathan could get it together on a consistant basis in tests, a pace attack of Munaf, Sreekanth and Pathan would, I beleive, be right up there with the best in the world in a couple of years time

 

[Pratters]

Actually, if pathan could get it together on a consistant basis in tests, a pace attack of Munaf, Sreesanth and Pathan would, I beleive, be right up there with the best in the world in a couple of years time

Yup I share the same sentiments.. Very excited about Munaf Patel. Still not fully sure regarding Sreesanth but that is because I haven't watched him in action a lot. Still many people have included Sreesanth with Patel and Pathan and that must mean the lad must carry some weight.

 

[Swervy]

Yup I share the same sentiments.. Very excited about Munaf Patel. Still not fully sure regarding Sreesanth but that is because I haven't watched him in action a lot. Still many people have included Sreesanth with Patel and Pathan and that must mean the lad must carry some weight.

yeah..I meant Sreesanth

 

[Krishna_j]

I think someone like Manoj Prabhakar who could bowl & and bat would be the compromise choice for third seamer in overseas matches - always assuming his all round abilities exclude match fixing

 

[Gajanayake]

now dont get me wrong, Ghavri for some reason was one of my favourite players as a kid (not as good as the legendary Roger Binny of course ...but if Ghavri comes close to a 30year span XI, then times really have been bad. I would actually be more inclined top put Pathan in there....Munaf is close to as good as you will see bar Dev and Srinath...come on, some one pick Roger Binny

Actually after Dev and Srinath, I'd say the best Indian seamers (from my POV anyway) have been Venkatesh Prasad, Chetan Sharma and Abey Kuruvilla.

Prasad could have been a lot more successful (maybe averaged around 30 like Srinath) I think if he had another 5 kms of pace......at 125-127 km/hr he was always going to have limited effectiveness.

Kuruvilla was 6 foot six and generated excellent lift - but he was unfairly treated by the selectors....he almost bowled India to what would have been a series victory at Bridgetown in 1997......if the batsmen hadn't screwed it up.


Personally, I do feel the current crop of MUnaf, Sreesnath, RP Singh, VRV, Pathan, Balaji is the best crop of seamers India have ever had in terms of potential.......(i know SS will come on here and say they are all rubbish and deserve to be shot), but I'l continue -- I think India can form a good pace atack with what they have --- but they could really use a mentor/a bowling coach ala Cooley - someone who can at least help them reach their potential something which quite a number of Indian seamers in the past have failed to do.

 

[silentstriker]

They are all rubbish and deserve to be shot.

 

[silentstriker]

No, but I agree in that they need a professional bowling coach. Pace bowling has been our traditional weakness, and it astounds me that we don't have one already to remedy that problem.

 

[shortpitched713]

Isn't Alan Donald available as a potential bowling coach? If I were India, I would snap him up in a heartbeat.

 

[Arjun]

How about this one?

• Gavaskar
• Sehwag
• Dravid
• Tendulkar
• Azharuddin (C)
• Amarnath (RM)
• Kapil Dev (RFM)
• Kirmani (WK)
• Kumble (LBG)
• Harbhajan (OB)
• Srinath (RFM)
• RESERVE: Prasad (RMF)
• RESERVE: Sidhu
• RESERVE: Shastri (SLA)
• RESERVE: Jadeja

Bedi has made more than a few teams, but I've picked Harbhajan because he's getting closer to Bedi's record and frankly, he's a more value-added bowler than Bedi and a lot less controversial. Surprisingly, Prasad hasn't been a choice in most teams even on the bench.

 

[silentstriker]

How about this one?

• Gavaskar
• Sehwag
• Dravid
• Tendulkar
• Azharuddin (C)
• Amarnath (RM)
• Kapil Dev (RFM)
• Kirmani (WK)
• Kumble (LBG)
• Harbhajan (OB)
• Srinath (RFM)
• RESERVE: Prasad (RMF)
• RESERVE: Sidhu
• RESERVE: Shastri (SLA)
• RESERVE: Jadeja

Bedi has made more than a few teams, but I've picked Harbhajan because he's getting closer to Bedi's record and frankly, he's a more value-added bowler than Bedi and a lot less controversial. Surprisingly, Prasad hasn't been a choice in most teams even on the bench.

I'd take Ganguly, and make him captain, over Azhar. Say what you will about his ending, but Ganguly was a great captain for India. And in his prime, a great batsman as well.

 

[silentstriker]

Isn't Alan Donald available as a potential bowling coach? If I were India, I would snap him up in a heartbeat.

Um....yea. I'd pay him whatever he asks. It certainly can't hurt to give him a shot for a couple years. Certainly a better use of money than forming 22 committees.

 

[nightprowler10]

Um....yea. I'd pay him whatever he asks. It certainly can't hurt to give him a shot for a couple years. Certainly a better use of money than forming 22 committees.

But don't they need those 22 committees to decide if they want to offer AD a job?

 

[Beleg]

Gavaskar
Tendulkar
Dravid
Vengaskar
Azhar - Captain
Amarnath
Kirmani - Keeper
Kapil
Kumble
Srinath
Bedi

 

[SJS]

Best Indian XI 1976-2006 :

Sunil Gavaskar - Capt
Virendra Sehwag
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Gundappa Vishvanath
Mohinder Amarnath
Kapil Dev
Syed Kirmani
Javagal Srinath
Anil Kumble
BS Bedi

Reserves : Ravi Shastri,Dilip Vengsarkar,Venkatesh Prasad,BS Chandrasekhar

Thats about as good an Indian side as one can think of for last 30 years althogh the bowling is a bit weak and six specialist batsmen maybe a luxury but with Sehwag opening that could soon be five

. I dont agree that they will lose to everyone in the world. To the Australians, West Indians surely. Pakistanis maybe after a bloody good fight. England ands South Africa they will better at home and give a bloody tough time away. Sri Lanka and New Zealand they would murder.

I talk test matches. I think they would rank anywhere between 4 and 6. And thats because the West Indians Australians and Pakistanis have had some really great players during this period.

Current test sides would find this a very difficult side to beat thogh I would be tempted to add a bowler to the playing eleven. Maybe Shastri for Mohinder.

 

[Jono]

No, but I agree in that they need a professional bowling coach. Pace bowling has been our traditional weakness, and it astounds me that we don't have one already to remedy that problem.

Didn't we used to have Bruce Reid?