Whenever we talk about an all-time Indian ODI XI, the team is usually filled with former captains. However, Team India has had great ODI players, who, unfortunately, could not lead the squad. That said, their contributions have been immense and are part of the successful history that India is proud of.
In this article, we take a look at the all-time Indian ODI XI of players who have not captained the country. Most of India’s ODI greats have captained in one or the other game. There have been some fine gentlemen who could not do that. This article is dedicated to such players.
Openers: Navjot Sidhu and VVS Laxman
Navjot Sidhu is actually an underrated cricketer in Indian cricket circles. At his peak, the opener was one of India’s best batsmen and was known for his attacking display of batsmanship. He scored more than 4000 ODI runs and is currently India’s fourteenth highest run-getter in ODI’s.
Although VVS Laxman was more of a Test cricketer, he also played a few good games for Team India in the ODI format. He scored around 2000 runs for the country, and although he batted in the middle-order, we have him opening the innings for this XI.
Middle-Order: Vinod Kambli, Mohammed Kaif, and Yuvraj Singh (C)
A flashy cricketer, Vinod Kambli oozed promise and potential like no other batsman. However, all of it was short-lived. Yet, during his stay in the Indian Team, the Mumbai man was part of some famous knocks.
In 125 games, Kaif scored 2753 runs and was one architect in India’s famous Natwest game win. He was also a terrific fielder and pulled off some acrobatic catches.
It is Yuvraj Singh who will lead this all-time Indian ODI XI. Yuvi won the Player of the Series award at the 2011 World Cup and helped India win the trophy after 28 years. This is his greatest achievement ever on a cricket field. Even he did not get to captain Team India.
All-Rounders: Robin Singh and Ravindra Jadeja
Robin Singh and Ravindra Jadeja will be the all-rounders in this XI. While Robin was a mainstay in the team in the late 90s, Jaddu is a modern legend. Robin had more contributions in the batting department, and on the other hand, Jaddu’s primary role was with the ball. That said, Jadeja’s batting skills have recently improved, and he is now a useful hand with the willow, too.
Bowlers: Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and J Srinath
Of course, a bowler is the last person in a playing XI who gets selected as a captain. Team India has also gone in with this template in all three formats of the game. However, there were players like Anil Kumble who led now and then.
For this XI, we have Ajit Agarkar at No.8. With 288 wickets in 191 games, he is the third-highest wicket-taker for India in ODI’s. In fact, with 269 scalps in 194 games, Zaheer Khan’s records stand lesser than Ajit. That said, Zaheer was an impact cricketer and helped Indian win the World Cup.
J Srinath is India’s highest wicket-taking pacer with 315 scalps in 229 games. Bhajji has also done well for Team India and hence, he too features in this XI.
