Right from the start of the inaugural T20 world cup, we have seen some players who have performed exceptionally well and have cemented their place in the all time playing 11. So, this is my all time playing 11 till now.
ROHIT SHARMA
For the openers we have Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. There is absolutely no doubt in having Rohit Sharma in the side. HITMAN has been quite impressive in the shorter formats of the game. His six-hitting ability and explosive batting style completely justify his name ‘Ro-Superhit Sharma’.
KL RAHUL
Alongside Rohit, KL Rahul comes in to open the innings. We had other options like Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan but when you have Kamaal Lajawab Rahul, then you don’t have to look for others. Raul has proved to be an absolute match-winner for the Indian team in the 20-over cricket format.
VIRAT KOHLI
THE CHASE MASTER, VIRAT KOHLI IS OUR FIRST CHOICE FOR NUMBER 3 and We are sure there would be no debate on this. WHETHER IT IS BUILDING A TOUGH knock OR CHASING AN IMPOSSIBLE LOOKING SCORE, HE MADE ALL OF IT. VIRAT KOHLI IS THE ONLY CURRENT INDIAN BATSMAN to have an AVERAGE over 50 IN T20I CRICKET. Kohli WILL ALSO BE the VICE CAPTAIN for this side.
YUVRAJ SINGH
OUR SIX MACHINE AND A FIGHTER YUVRAJ SINGH WILL COME AT NUMBER 4. The man who hit six 6s in an over off Stuart Broad is a must to have in India’s all-time t20I xi. HE ALSO won THE MAN OF THE tournament award IN THE INAUGURAL edition ICC WORLD T20. Yuvi can also bowl some left-arm orthodox in the middle of the innings that provides a great balance to the team.
SURESH RAINA
Another left left-hander in the form of Suresh Raina will complete our middle order. GREAT FIELDER, GREAT FOOTWORK AGAINST SPINNERS AND AN EFFECTIVE PART-TIME BOWLER. He has got everything to find a spot in this playing xi. Raina is a proven match-winner as he has PLAYED SOME GREAT KNOCKS FOR THE TEAM IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. HE HAS ALSO THE FIRST Indian BATSMAN WHO SCORED CENTURY IN T20is.
MS DHONI
One of the greatest finishers of all-time, MS dhoni is there at number 6. Not just a great finisher, but also a magnificent wicket keeper and captain, Dhoni is an absolute legend of the game. Dinesh Karthik also has a decent record in this format but ab jab baat Dhoni pe aa Jaye toh kahi aur Jaane ki zarurat nahi. You can’t imagine an Indian without the man who won all the three ICC trophies for the nation.
HARDIK PANDYA
After A LOT OF CONFUSION between JADEJA OR HARDIK, we decided to go for Pandya, owing to his better batting records. Hardik has a natural ability to absolutely tonk the bowlers out of the park and at number 7, you need a similar kind of player. India has not had many great fast bowling all-rounders after Kapil Dev and Irfan Pathan but Pandya has got all the right ingredients to walk on that path.
R ASHWIN
After pipping bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav and Harbhajan Singh, Ashwin would be our first spinner for this Indian all-time t20i xi. The off-spinner TOOK T20I 52 WICKETS WITH AN AVERAGE OF 22. He is one of those rare spinners who can bowl in the powerplay as well and claim some early wickets for the team.
BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR
Bhuvneshwar Kumar joins the side to lead the pace attack in terms of experience. With really tough competition between Bhuvi and Nehra Ji, we went for Bhuvi. He has a much better economy rate and no matter whom we pick, our SRH fans will get a treat seeing any one of them bowl.
YUZI CHAHAL
Wrist spinners are always effective in the shorter formats aur ab baat jab wrist spinners ki ho rhi h toh yes, you guessed it right, we are talking about Yuzi Chahal. CHAHAL’S RECORD IN T20 CRICKET FROM PAST 4 YEARS HAVE BEEN VERY IMPRESSIVE AND HE HAS ALSO DELIVERED SOME BEST PERFORMANCES FOR THE TEAM. He is also the second spinner to take six wickets in T20I innings.
JASPRIT BUMRAH
Boom boom Bumrah completes our greatest Indian XI for the t20is. POPULARLY KNOWN AS TOE CRUSHER, Burmah is the current BEST BOWLER FOR INDIA IN T20 CRICKET. He has more t20I wickets than any other Indian bowler right now. With death specialists like Bhuvi and Bumrah, the opposition is going to face a lot of problems to score runs at the end.
Cricket is a game in which teamwork is most important. If one person fails to perform, the whole team has to pay for the loss. In cricket, partnership at times becomes very important. If a team gets a good partnership in the innings, they feel themselves into a good position. So basically in cricket, a whole team’s effort is very important. Here are some of the top 10 partnerships which changed the result of the game.
Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels (372 runs) West Indies vs Zimbabwe, 24th February 2015
West Indies won the toss and elected to bat. Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels were the two batsmen who had to take the team out from the difficult situation. Before the World Cup, Gayle was not in good form. So the management was thinking whether he would be able to make a statement or not.
Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels after scoring centuries
Both the players were playing well and they were trying to build a good score against Zimbabwe. Both the batsmen scored centuries. Gayle scored 215 runs in just 147 balls. Samuels scored 133 runs off 156 balls. West Indies won the match by 73 runs by Duckworth Lewis (D/L) method. Chris Gayle was selected Man of the Match as he hit a double century.
John Campbell and Shai Hope (365 runs) West Indies vs Ireland, 5th May 2019
Ireland won the toss and elected to field first. The opening pair Shai Hope and John Campbell started their innings well. From the past few months before, the West Indies was trying to find a suitable opening pair for them. John Campbell from the start of the innings was looking steady whereas Shai Hope, as always looked dangerous.
Both the batter celebrating after a successful partnership
Both of the batsmen conceded 100 runs in 20 overs itself. After half of the innings, John Campbell started to accelerate the innings and completed his century within 99 balls. Both the players played well at the end and helped their team to win the game comfortably by 196 runs. John Campbell was the Man of the Match.
Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid (331 runs) India vs New Zealand, 8th November 1999
India had won the toss and they elected to bat first. India didn’t start well as they lost Sourav Ganguly early. Sachin and Dravid stood well as they were playing fearless cricket against the kiwis. Sachin was the captain of the side, so he had more responsibilities to perform. He was playing attacking cricket, on the other side, Dravid was playing steady cricket by defending good balls.
Both the batsmen walking towards the pavilion after finishing the innings
Both the players took the team from a situation where anything could have happened. Dravid got out by making 153 runs and Sachin scored highest individual score 186* of that time. India won that match by 174 runs and Sachin was chosen as Man of the Match.
Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid (318 runs) India vs Sri Lanka, 26th May 1999
India had won the toss and they elected to bat first. India didn’t start well as they lost Sourav Ganguly early. He got run out at the non-striker’s end. Sachin and Dravid stood well as they were playing fearless cricket against the kiwis. Sachin was the captain of the side, so he had more responsibilities to perform. He was playing attacking cricket, on the other side, Dravid was playing steady cricket by defending good balls and thrashing bad balls over the ground.
Both the batter celebrating after scoring centuries and a strong partnership
Both the players took the team from a situation where anything could have happened. The pressure was building upon both the players, but they batted so well and took the team away from that situation. Dravid got out by making 153 runs and Sachin scored highest individual score 186* of that time. India won that match by 174 runs and Sachin was chosen as Man of the Match.
Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman (304 runs) Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, 20th July 2018
Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first. Both the openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman walked into the middle and as soon as they entered both of them started scoring runs in a hustle. Imam was playing good cricket as he was earlier struggling with his form. Fakhar was in good form as he was looking good while batting.
Both batter complementing each other during a match against zimbabwe
Both the batsmen were in their rhythm as they are playing fearless cricket against Zimbabwe. Imam scored 113 runs while Fakhar scored his maiden double ton in international cricket. He scored 210 runs. Pakistan won that match by 244 runs and Fakhar was the Man of the Match.
Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das (292 runs) Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe, 6th March 2020
Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field first. Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das were the openers to start innings for Bangladesh. Bangladesh got a slow start as they scored two runs in 10 balls. Tamim Iqbal started accelerating innings for Bangladesh. Following him, Das also started scoring runs quickly. Both the batsmen were looking steady as they were approaching towards a good score. Liton Das got his century number three and on the other hand, Tamim was trying to rotate strike.
Liton Das celebrating after hitting a century
After they settled, both the batsmen started playing attacking cricket. Zimbabwe also in the middle dropped some catches and gave both batsmen a chance to score big runs. Bangladesh scored 322 in 43 overs due to D/L method as the overs got decreased in both innings. Tamim scored unbeaten 128 runs. Das scored 176 runs and became the first player for Bangladesh to have the highest individual score in ODI. Bangladesh won by 123 runs ( D/L Method) and Liton Das was the Man of the Match.
Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla (282* runs) South Africa vs Bangladesh, 15th October 2017
Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first. Bangladesh gave the target of 278 in 300 balls. Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla, both the openers walked into the middle. De Kock gave a brilliant start to the team. Amla on the other end, trying to rotate the strike and keep putting pressure upon Bangladeshi bowlers. De Kock was playing very well.
Both the batter congratulating each other after 100 runs partnership
Fielders were leaving catches and both the batsmen were getting an opportunity to build up a strong partnership. Both the batsmen finished the game for their team. De Kock scored 168 runs off 145 balls. Amla scored 110 runs off 112 balls. South Africa had a comfortable win as they beat Bangladesh by 10 wickets. De Kock was the Man of the Match.
Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan (282 runs) Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 10th March 2011
Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field first. From the Sri Lanka side, Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan came out to open the innings. Tharanga was struggling to get opening runs for his team while Dilshan got a good start. In the middle overs both the batsmen started scoring well and were also able to find boundaries.
Both batter looking towards the ball
Dilshan was batting with the strike rate of 200 at the beginning of the innings. Tharanga and Dilshan both completed their centuries and led Sri Lanka towards a solid total to defend in the second innings. Tharanga got 133 while Dilshan got 144. Sri Lanka won by 139 runs. Dilshan was the Man of the Match.
Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja (275* runs) India vs Zimbabwe, 9th April 1998
Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field first. India didn’t get a good start as their opening batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly departed very cheaply. VVS Laxman also got out on a duck. Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja were on the crease. The match was in a position where the middle order has to come and make a statement for their team. Azharuddin was batting well and Ajay Jadeja was supporting him well.
Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja in one frame
Both were in the starting of the innings, trying to rotate the strike and trying to build up pressure on the opponent. Azharuddin and Jadeja both completed their centuries and it was the then highest partnership recorded in the book of history. Azhar made 153 while Jadeja scored 116. India won that match by 32 runs and Azhar was the Man of the match.
James Marshall and Brendon McCullum (274 runs) New Zealand vs Ireland, 1st July 2008
Ireland won the toss and elected to field first. Brendon McCullum and James Marshall came out to open the innings for Kiwis. McCullum got a great start as he started his innings with a six over covers. James was struggling a bit but was able to overcome well and try to take Kiwis innings towards a good score.
James Marshall hitting the Irish bowlers for boundaries
McCullum and James both reached their respective centuries. Both were playing well and setting a good partnership also. Ireland also dropped some easy catches in between. McCullum scored 166 off 135 balls while James scored 161 off 141 balls. Kiwis won that match by a huge margin of 290 runs which itself makes a record of winning a match with one of the biggest margins.
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