Cheteshwar Pujara and Nick Knight made some intriguing choices while picking a combined India-England XI of players who featured in the 21st century. Notably, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, and Zaheer Khan missed out.
Pujara won the toss and picked first, choosing England skipper Ben Stokes. Knight responded by selecting Alastair Cook and Virender Sehwag as his opening pair.
Although Rohit, Gambhir, and Murali Vijay were available, Cheteshwar Pujara chose England’s Alec Stewart as wicketkeeper-opener alongside Rahul Dravid.
For pace options, Knight went with the legendary James Anderson and Stuart Broad, leaving Zaheer Khan unpicked. Pujara opted for Mohammed Shami as his second fast bowler, with Zaheer still overlooked.
Knight slotted in the iconic Sachin Tendulkar and Kevin Pietersen in his middle order. Pujara bolstered his spin attack by selecting Ravichandran Ashwin and added former England captain Joe Root. Knight’s next selections included MS Dhoni as wicketkeeper-batter and Graeme Swann as the off-spinner.
Pujara completed his all-Indian bowling line-up by including Saurashtra teammate Ravindra Jadeja. He also named Virat Kohli and VVS Laxman in his middle order, with England’s Andrew Flintoff joining as the all-rounder. Former pacer Matthew Hoggard was named the 12th man.
India and England share a storied cricket rivalry and are currently contesting a five-match Test series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. England, led by Stokes, hold a 2-1 advantage with Tests in Manchester and London remaining.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s India-England Combined Test XI (21st century):
Alec Stewart (WK), Rahul Dravid, Joe Root, Virat Kohli, VVS Laxman, Ben Stokes, Andrew Flintoff, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah. 12th man: Matthew Hoggard.
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