Former Australia National Cricket Team skipper Michael Clarke has picked his all-time India-Australia combined Test playing XI from this century. What caught the attention of many was he wasn’t sure about picking MS Dhoni and kept him as an option along with Adam Gilchrist as keeper.
For the openers, Michael Clarke picked Virender Sehwag and Matthew Hayden. The two arguably were two of the fiercest players who played for India National Cricket Team and Australia National Cricket Team respectively. They both played a crucial role in the success of their respective teams while opening.
Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar will be batting at No.3 and No.4 in the India-Australia combined Test XI
Ricky Ponting will be batting at No.3 and it’s fair to say that not many were better than him in the format. Known for his aggressive nature, the premier batter was one of the main reasons behind the success of the Australia National Cricket Team in the longest format of the game.
Sachin Tendulkar will be following two openers, Sehwag and Hayden, and Ponting in Clarke’s Team at 4. The batting great arguably was one of the best players to have played the format. He ended Test cricket as the leading run-getter with 49 centuries as he played some glorious innings for the team.
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith are No.5 and No.6 in Michael Clarke’s India-Australia combined Test playing XI
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith are No.5 and No.6, respectively, in Clarke’s India-Australia combined Test playing XI from this century. Both Kohli and Smith are the backbone of the current Indian and Australian Team are clashing with each other in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
However, when it came to picking the wicketkeeper for the team, Clarke was confused as he made the optional choice. If the team plays in Australia, Adam Gilchrist will be the keeper-batter, and if it is played in India, then MS Dhoni will take the gloves.
Late legendary Shane Warne was picked by Michael Clarke as the only specialist spinner in the team. The bowling great ended his career as the second leading wicket-taker in the Test format with 708 wickets to his name.
For the bowling attack, Clarke went on to pick Glenn McGrath and Jasprit Bumrah. Ryan Harris was the third pacer included by the former Australia National Cricket Team pacer. He also named optional choices for the 12th man of his combined side. He picked Mitchell Johnson if the team would play in Australia, and Zaheer Khan if the team would play in India.
Michael Clarke picks his India-Australia combined Test playing XI from this century
Michael Clarke’s India-Australia combined Test playing XI from this century
Virender Sehwag, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Adam Gilchrist/MS Dhoni, Shane Warne, Ryan Harris, Jasprit Bumrah, Glenn McGrath.
12th man: Mitchell Johnson/Zaheer Khan