Kane Williamson, the former captain of New Zealand, unveiled his ideal Indian white-ball team, which combines traditional names with contemporary superstars.
In an interview with Middlesex Cricket, Kane Williamson selected Rohit Sharma and Virender Sehwag as his openers. While Rohit is the fourth-highest run scorer in ODI history, he leads the T20Is in run scoring. However, India’s victories in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup were greatly aided by Sehwag, who is known for his reckless style and explosive starts.
Virat Kohli was placed at No. 3 by Kane Williamson. With nearly 18,000 runs in both ODIs and T20Is combined, Kohli is considered by many to be one of the best chasers of the contemporary age and has established himself as an island of reliability for India in all forms. Kane Williamson picked Sachin Tendulkar, who has 18,426 runs and is the all-time top run scorer in ODIs, at number four. Despite playing in just one Twenty20 International, Tendulkar’s influence in the 50-over format is still unmatched.
Yuvraj Singh, ranked No. 5, is renowned for his game-winning efforts throughout the World Cups in 2007 and 2011. Interestingly, in 2011 he was also selected Player of the Tournament. Kane Williamson placed Suryakumar Yadav, the current captain of India in Twenty20 Internationals and a versatile batsman who was instrumental in the country’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, at number six.
Kane Williamson retained batsman-wicketkeeper MS Dhoni at No. 7, who helped India win three ICC championships: the 2011 ODI World Cup, the 2013 Champions Trophy, and the 2007 T20 World Cup. In order to complete the lineup, Williamson selected Anil Kumble, who holds the record for most ODI wickets taken (334), as the only spinner and Jasprit Bumrah, Zaheer Khan, and Mohammed Shami as his three fast bowlers.
The Indian white-ball XI that Kane Williamson has played in
Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Shami
India
