Tendulkar and Kohli in Joe Root’s all-time Test XI

The team (in batting order):

Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Kumar Sangakkara, Andrew Flintoff, Shane Warne, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn McGrath.

Root chose current England Test skipper Alastair Cook as captain of his team.

“Opening the batting for me are Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook. Vaughan because as a kid growing up, he was from the same local club then going through and playing for Yorkshire and captaining England to an Ashes-winning team,” Root told Lord’s Cricket Ground’s official Facebook page.

“Cooky at the other end, again, England’s all-time run maker. I have had the opportunity to play alongside him and bat with him out at middle at the moment. He is going to captain the team as he is the only ever international captain I have played under in Test cricket.”

The 26-year-old has Tendulkar batting at No 3, saying he was lucky to have played against the cricket legend.

“At number 3, Sachin Tendulkar, one of the best players to ever play the game. Lucky enough to have made my debut against him, and it was quite an honour to just be on the same field as him.

“Number 4, Jacques Kallis, I never was lucky enough to play against him, he was massive influence on me growing up.”

Virat Kohli, one of the best players in the world at the moment. The way he can construct an innings in all formats of the game is outstanding.

Root picked two of his biggest batting rivals in the middle-order.

“Number 5, Virat Kohli, one of the best players in the world at the moment. The way he can construct an innings in all formats of the game is outstanding. At number 6 is AB de Villiers, again a fantastic player for South Africa for a number of years. Can keep, can field, I think he has even got wickets, and obviously scored a number of match winning knocks for South Africa.”

Former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara is the wicketkeeper in the XI that also has three Australians.

“Number 7 is Kumar Sangakkara, he is going to keep wicket for my team, every time I play against Kumar, he seems to get runs. Whether it be county cricket, playing in one-day international or Test cricket. I watch him play and he makes it look extremely easy and always seems to score hundreds. So, if he is playing in my team and he does that, I will be extremely happy.

“Number 8 will be Andrew Flintoff, as a kid growing up, watching that Ashes 2005 series, the way he went about that and the way he sort of made that series his own was so inspirational and really got me drawn even more into cricket than I already was.

“Number 9 is Shane Warne, one of the best spinners of all-time, definitely want a wrist spinner in my team so he makes the grade.

“To finish off, two nasty fasties. Mitchell Johnson who made life pretty uncomfortable when we played Australia down under a few years ago. And, of course, Glenn McGrath is going to bat number 11 for me, one of the best records as a seamer. That is my all-time XI.”