World XI of Test Cricketers that can conquer Indian fortress
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Since 2013, eight countries have tried to conquer the mighty Indian team in their own backyard and all eight have returned empty-handed. Their dominance has reached such absurd heights where it seems like the only way to trump them would be by forming a World XI and even that seems like a long shot.
In fact, team India have lost just one of their last 32 matches at home since the start of 2013 and have since gone on to set the record for the Most Consecutive Test series won (11), going past the mighty Australians of the mid-2000s. Can this juggernaut ever be stopped? Well, by the looks of it, it does feel like it is not going to come to an end anytime soon but we, here at SportsCafe, have come up with a hypothetical World XI that can potentially conquer the Indian team. Â
Openers
Keaton Jennings: Yes, we get it. Keaton Jennings is not the name you would have expected to see first up, but the fact of the matter is - he has simply been exceptional in the five Tests heâs played in Asia and has warranted a place in this XI with his numbers. He made a good account of himself with his century on debut at Wankhede and a fourth-innings fifty in Chennai, but well and truly established himself as an opener tailor-made for subcontinent conditions with his 46 & 146*Â in Galle last year, a match where the average team totals were no more than 279. He might be a walking wicket in many a continent in the world, but in Asia, Jennings is the go-to man.Â
Tom Latham: Just as he did against the Indians and the Lankans, Latham swept his way to the top to find a place in this team. Not only has been the best opener - averaging a staggering 58 in his last 18 Tests - over the course of the last two years, but unlike his compatriots and counterparts, Latham has excelled in the sub-continent and has used the cliched âsweep the ballâ tactic remarkably well. With three fifties in just six innings in India and an overall average of 40 in Asia, there isnât an opener better in the world currently equipped to shut down the threat of the Indian bowlers like Tom Latham.
Middle-order
Kane Williamson (c):Â The men who tormented India in the past - be it Alastair Cook or Steve Smith or Kevin Pietersen - did so by exhibiting their ice-cool attitude and arguably, in world cricket today, there isnât a man who can handle pressure better than Kane Williamson. That just adds to his accolades but everything else aside, he walks into the XI with his exploits in Asia - a century in every Asian country heâs played in to go with several match-winning knocks that has yielded him an average of almost 47 in the sub-continent. A warrior in every sense, an ice-cold one, and definitely one that the World XI would need to conquer India.
Steve Smith: âGive me Steve Smith and 10 pieces of wood and Iâll win in Indiaâ said no coach ever, but in all honesty, that might just be possible. With his astonishing show of batsmanship in 2017, Smith almost single-handedly did the impossible but fell marginally short. We could pull out numbers but letâs be honest, we all know how good this man is and he is, by far, the best player of spin (and pace and seam and swing) in the world and World XI might very well start as favourites over India thanks to the omniscient presence of Smith in the team.
Mushfiqur Rahim (wk): Mushfiqur Rahim, in many ways, is a treasure hidden in plain sight. Our mind often wanders to a Quinton de Kock or a Jonny Bairstow when we think of quality wicket-keeper batsmen, but in fact, Rahim, over the course of the last two years, has out-performed his compatriots and has made a case for himself to be considered the best wicket-keeper batsman going around. In fact, in his only outing in India, Rahim scored a nonchalant 127 and since 2017, he has averaged a staggering 68.80 over his last six innings in the sub-continent (outside Bangladesh). Him being a quality keeper adds to his credentials as well, thus itâs a no-brainer for him to take the gloves in this XI.Â
All-rounders
Ben Stokes: Ben Stokes can make miracles happen. We saw it in the World Cup, we saw it in the Ashes and should there ever be a match between World XI and India played in India, chances are that we will see it there too. Stokesâ numbers in Asia - a hundred and three fifties across 16 innings - are by no means great, but there are some players who warrant a place in the team due to their sheer match-winning ability and the âX-Factorâ they possess and Stokes is certainly right up there on the list. Why limit your heroics to Headingley when you can stretch it all the way to Hyderabad?
Shakib Al Hasan:Â A captainâs dream, Shakib Al Hasan is probably on the unlucky side of things to have played a solitary Test in India. But he did give a very good account of himself in that one match, scoring a well-composed 82 that almost helped his side salvage a draw. In this day and age where the term âall-rounderâ is being thrown around so frivolously, Shakib is the embodiment of the term, being equally good with both bat and ball. A successful conquest of India requires specialists with bat and ball, and who better than Shakib, who is simply the complete package and a connoisseur of both arts.
Moeen Ali: Like Jennings, Moeen Ali is another out-of-the-box selection in the team, but make no mistake, a much-needed one. And interestingly, he has not been picked as a specialist spinner, but more as a specialist batsman who can occasionally contribute with the ball. With two hundreds in just nine innings in India at an average of 42, Moeen, with his aggressive yet calculated approach, got the measure of the Indian bowlers in his last visit. While his numbers with the ball - 10 wickets at an average close to 65 - is disastrous, to say the least, he still finds a place in the team thanks to his quirky ability with both bat and ball to turn things around, a feat not many cricketers are not capable of.Â
Bowlers
Pat Cummins: After a six-year hiatus from Test cricket, Pat Cummins made his return in Ranchi, a pitch which would turn out to be one of the flattest in recent times. And while all bowlers were getting whacked all over the park, Cummins, with his ever-so-present lion-hearted attitude, toiled hard and ended up with astonishing figures of 4/106. Fair to say, it was the start of something special, as ever since, the fire, effort, commitment and class of Cummins has been a touch above any other bowler in the world. Ranchi was the first step Cummins took en route to greatness and yes, no matter the team composition, no matter the state of the pitch, he would always be the first name on the team sheet.
Mitchell Starc: The Australian team management might have thought twice before selecting Starc for the Ashes, but boy wouldnât he be an automatic pick in any match in the subcontinent. In 2016, Starc ended the series against Sri Lanka - a series dominated by spin - as the second-highest wicket-taker and the following year, he put his team in the driverâs seat to beat India, only to get injured after that. In slow and low wickets in the subcontinent where the bounce is usually uneven, Starcâs stump-to-stump bowling has undone many an elite batsman and with the ability to clean up the tail with his bamboozling yorkers, who better than Starc to dent the Indian batting line-up? And oh, his high score of 99 came in India too, if it means anything at all!
Nathan Lyon: There is something about India that brings out the best in Nathan Lyon. In just 18 games against them, he has scalped a ridiculous 85 wickets which includes seven five-wicket hauls and a ten-wicket haul. His spell in the first innings of Bangalore in 2017 and the second innings of Adelaide in 2014 remains till date one of the best spells by a spinner in this decade, and to add on top of that, âGazzaâ has his number over many an Indian batsman, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Well, there might just be a case for Lyon being a more important player for the World XI than Smith.Â
World XI to beat India: Keaton Jennings, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson ( c ), Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Moeen Ali, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan LyonÂ
