Former India head coach Ravi Shastri and England’s World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan have revealed their combined India-England all-time ODI XI, featuring some of the greatest players to have graced the 50-over format. Despite both lifting the ODI World Cup during their careers, neither Shastri nor Morgan included themselves in the star-studded lineup. The final XI is heavily dominated by Indian cricketers, with eight players from India and three from England, while legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni has been entrusted with the captaincy.
Choosing the captain was one of the biggest talking points during the discussion. Shastri shortlisted three World Cup-winning leaders – MS Dhoni, Kapil Dev and Eoin Morgan – before ultimately handing the responsibility to the former India skipper. “When it comes to captain, only three names come to my mind. One is sitting to my left (Morgan), one is Kapil, and then of course MS Dhoni,” Shastri said.
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“I would go for a modern-generation player because in our time there wasn’t as much one-day cricket. That’s why the choice boils down to Eoin and MS. I will have to give it to MS because he has won every ICC tournament, including the World Cup in India. He would be my captain.”
Shastri also reserved special praise for Morgan, crediting him for transforming England into a fearless white-ball side that won its maiden ODI World Cup in 2019.
“Morgs was a fantastic captain because he was always ahead of the game. I have seen him lead in the IPL and international cricket for a long time. He was clear with his plans, fearless in his decision-making and knew exactly how he wanted his team to play,” Ravi Shastri added.
The batting lineup begins with two modern-day icons, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, opening the innings. England’s Jos Buttler slots in at No. 3, followed by Virat Kohli at No. 4.
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The middle order boasts three exceptional all-rounders in Yuvraj Singh, Kapil Dev and Ben Stokes, while Dhoni takes the wicketkeeper’s role at No. 8. The bowling attack features Harbhajan Singh and Adil Rashid as the spin duo, with Jasprit Bumrah leading the pace department. Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been named as the 12th man, completing a team packed with World Cup winners, match-winners and some of the finest ODI cricketers in history.
Ravi Shastri and Eoin Morgan’s Combined India-England ODI XI: Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Jos Buttler, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Kapil Dev, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (captain & wicketkeeper), Harbhajan Singh, Adil Rashid, Jasprit Bumrah. 12th Man: Zaheer Khan.
