INDIA XI

I’d not make any change in the playing XI. I’d just like to see MS Dhoni as the skipper instead of Rahul Dravid. With all due respect to Mr Dependable, I would rather like to see him as the ever-so-solid rock at No. 3, slaying the opposition bowlers mentally and physically with sheer resilience. Let the burden of captaincy not disturb him.

Coming to MSD, well, hasn’t the word ‘captaincy’ and Dhoni become kind of synonymous by now? One may argue his failures as captain in Tests when India went Down Under act as a demerit, but we can’t forget this is the same captain who took India to the pinnacle of Test rankings once upon a time. I may have also gone for Virat as the skipper but that would look more appropriate after a few more years.

(What changes would you make to Arun Lal’s India XI and World XI and why? March 5)

Akash Das

I’d like to have Yashpal Sharma in Arun Lal’s India XI. He was a blitzkrieg of a fielder. A great hitter of the ball. Went for some out-of-the-world catches. Batters were scared of him. When it is Yashpal they had collywobbles in their tummy... because his throws were accurate and like ninepin bowling, he managed to break the stumps almost regularly. So in place of Kapil Dev, I want him to be there in the team. 

Kousik Majumdar

Dear t2, firstly I want to change the India XI captain.We all know Rahul Dravid is obviously a good player. But as the captain, Dhoni is just perfect. The man who gave us the three most valuable trophies, is so cool on field or outside. 
Lastly, I want to include our Dada (Sourav Ganguly) in the team. The man who brought in some marvellous players and he knew how to manage the team well. So I think he should be always in the India XI as the vice-captain.

Arghya Majumdar

The 11 picked by Arun Lal is great. But there are three changes that I would like to make. Sourav Ganguly in for Virender Sehwag. Reason: a left-hander is very important at the top. And Ganguly’s aggression is equally important for the team. He is also my vice-captain. VVS Laxman in for Virat Kohli. Reason: batting under pressure in Tests is something Virat has not got on with properly. Thus he loses his place to the ‘Disaster manager of India’. Lastly, Harbhajan Singh in for R. Ashwin, ’cause Ash still needs to prove himself overseas and beating Bhajji at his best is still tough for him. 

My team will be captained by Kapil Dev, ’cause he has played with the best and is someone who knows about both bat and ball. He is after all the greatest all-rounder in Indian cricket. The team will be coached by Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. He will not only bring his experience but class to the team.

Siladitya Naskar Roy

This team has a weak bowling strength and won’t be able to get the opponent out twice. In my opinion, E.A.S. Prasanna and Bishan Singh Bedi should be included in place of Ashwin and Srinath, respectively.

Saswata

First the team should be captained by Sourav Ganguly instead of Rahul Dravid. I am not disrespecting Dravid but Sourav’s contribution as a captain has been immense. Sourav gave the team a new hope to win. And even though we failed to win the World Cup in 2003, he sure did put us in the Number 2 spot in the ICC rankings, and I think that made it easier for Dhoni to take the team forward from that stage.

Also, I think there’s someone without whom Dhoni would not be Dhoni — and that is Gautam Gambhir. His contributions to the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and Tests in 2009 (he was the Number 1 ranked batsman in ICC Test rankings that year) have been phenomenal. Though he’s not a part of the team now, he’s proving his mettle in domestic cricket. However, I am not asking you to replace MSD with Gauti as he is the best wicketkeeper India has ever produced. 

Priyodeep Sinha

Thanks t2 for this question. Here are my changes: Sourav Ganguly (C) at number three because he is one of the greatest captains India has had. Mohd Azharuddin at five because he was the most versatile player in Tests for India during the ’90s. (P.S. Not to forget that he is the only player in the world to hit three consecutive Test centuries in his first three Tests.) Coach: I am confused between Gary Kirsten and Duncan Fletcher, but I think I will go with the former. 

Aalish Sultan

I shall include Mohinder Amarnath in place of Virat. He is the man who will play Lillee and company better than anyone in this team. 

Som Sankar Sen

According to me, MS Dhoni should be the captain of India XI. It will be great to have such a cool-tempered guy as the leader of the team. In place of Sunil Gavaskar, some new talent should get a chance such as Ajinkya Rahane. He has that calmness and patience you need in Tests. Also, in place of Javagal Srinath, Umesh Yadav should be given a chance. 

Musarraf Ali Ansari

Firstly, a big congratulations to Mr Arun Lal for his skilful choice of the Indian XI, with so many big names in the fray from 1966 to 2016. But, I feel a few changes can probably make this XI even better — both at home and overseas.

First of all, even though Rahul Dravid is undoubtedly the most impactful player India has ever had in Tests and comes across as the most obvious choice in this XI, I think it would be better to have him purely as a batsman. Thereby, I feel the captaincy should be shouldered by none other than MS Dhoni, one of India’s best and most successful captains. Having MSD as captain, I would thereby like to have Gary Kirsten as the coach of this XI instead of John Wright. After all, who can forget the Dhoni-Gary partnership that took India to the helm of Test rankings for the first time? Next, instead of Javagal Srinath, I would probably have Bishan Singh Bedi, India’s first impactful spin bowler. However, if the pitch favours the fast bowlers, then I would probably have Javagal Srinath in place of Ashwin, with Bedi retaining his place.

Sayantap Datta

I would like to make two changes to the India XI selected by Arun Lal. First, VVS Laxman in place of Virat Kohli. This being an all-time XI, I don’t think Kohli should make it here as it is too early and he hasn’t been consistent in Test cricket. Laxman has played a number of match-winning innings over the years in tough conditions. 

Secondly, Harbhajan in place of Ashwin for a similar reason — Harbhajan has scalped 400+ wickets over a period of 10 years while I think Ashwin has just started performing consistently this season.

Devansh Agarwal

I’d like to include Mohinder Amarnath, the ‘comeback man’, in place of Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly in place of Virat Kohli. Both Amarnath and Ganguly will be able to help Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath in their seam attack besides displaying their batting prowess. Left-handed Ganguly will bring diversity in our batting line-up. I would also like to include Dilip Doshi, the left arm spinner, in place of Zaheer Khan. It will be a good combination of right-left with Kumble-Doshi-Ashwin in our XI. Kapil Dev could be the captain of the team.

Ratan Kumar Dutta

Firstly, I will make MS Dhoni the captain. After all he has been the best India captain. Come on, he is a far better captain than Dravid. Moreover, he has had a better winning percentage than Dravid, and will make better decisions than him. He knows exactly when to ask for DRS and the current Indian Test side is now struggling without him. MS is the one who can unite a team consisting of both seniors and juniors. Secondly, I may have taken Ganguly in place of Kohli. He had more experience. Though, of course, it will be difficult to choose between them.

Rishika Dutta

The team must be led by Sourav Ganguly. Must have VVS Laxman. Virat has just started and might not feature  in the all-time India XI.

Dhiman Bhat

I think Rahul Dravid as captain is a blunder. Either Dhoni or Sunil Gavaskar would have been a much better choice. Though Sourav Ganguly was the best of the lot he was simply not a good enough batsman to merit a place in the team. 

On spinning tracks, either Zaheer or Srinath would have to make way for the likes of Bedi and Prasanna. Otherwise, the selection is spot-on. In fact, this team can take on the World XI and not suffer much of an embarrassment. Sunil had successfully negotiated the likes of Lillee and Imran while Sachin and Rahul would surely not flinch against the likes of Warne and Murali. On the bowling front though, we may struggle, especially if the track is not spinner friendly — neither Kumble nor Ashwin would then have much to offer. 

Sandeep Choudhary

And a T20 team... 

1. Virender Sehwag (explosive both on and off the field)
2. Rohit Sharma (the ‘Hitman’)
3. Virat Kohli (no reasons needed)
4. Suresh Raina (one of the greatest T20 cricketers)
5. MS Dhoni (C & WK) (Dhoni koi Tendulkar nahin, Dhoni Dhoni hai)
6. Kapil Dev (a big hitter and a great finisher)
7. R. Ashwin (can turn the game around at any instant)
8. Anil Kumble (had real good variation, which can come handy)
9. Zaheer Khan (brilliant death-over bowler)
10. Jasprit Bumrah (the Indian Malinga)
11. Javagal Srinath (no reason)
Coach: Gary Kirsten

Ayush Srivastava

WORLD XI

I’d like to have Matthew Hayden in Arun Lal’s World XI as an opener in place of Kallis. A hard hitter, brilliant fielder and a great motivator. And without Malcolm Marshall, the side remains incomplete. A terroriser... one who can make any batsman feel like a cat on a hot tin roof. Nose breaker. A great athlete  and a speed machine — that was what he was. Also Dean Jones is missing. Jones was a great fielder. A never-say-give-up kind of athlete. One cannot forget how he went on playing in that searing heat against India.... Heroes are made of sterner stuff.

Kousik Majumdar

Matthew Hayden in for Jacques Kallis. No one in the world can hit the ball harder and he will score at a brisk pace too. Brian Lara goes from No. 4 and comes in for Ricky Ponting at five ’cause Lara will hit spin and pace with equal grace. And Sir Don Bradman comes in at three. You cannot simply leave out the man with an average of 99, out of your Test XI. [Sorry Siladitya, but the selection time frame was 1966-2016] He is my captain too. Mark Boucher in for Adam Gilchrist, only because the team has enough batsmen. A wicketkeeper who would not let go any is required and who better than Boucher. Glenn McGrath in for Dennis Lillee, simply because McGrath can move the ball the way he moves his fingers. All Voluntary. Muralitharan goes out for Courtney Walsh because I already have Sobers and Warne. Walsh is simply going to add firepower to my pace attack. The coach has to be Imran Khan, as he is the only man who can control all the ‘bad boys’ in the team and bring the best out of them.

Siladitya Naskar Roy

I enjoyed Arun Lal’s India XI and World XI picks in t2onSunday... but I still think the following changes might make the team stronger:

1. Steve Smith or Mark Waugh in place of Ricky Ponting, simply because of their fantastic Test stats. Moreover, Steve is currently at the top of his game and leading the Australian team well. 

2. Sir Ian Botham in place of Sir Garry Sobers as an all-rounder, as he was one of the world’s finest all-rounders with 5,200 Test runs and 383 Test wickets. What more do you need to be in a team full of the world’s best players? I hope you like my suggestions.

Shrey Jha

1. Jacques Kallis is one of the most sought after No. 3 batsmen in cricket history and thus I would like him to retain that spot with Sir Viv and Lara coming in at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
2. Matthew Hayden has to be my 2nd opener with a prolific Test average of 50+ and a sublime record in the subcontinent. Alastair Cook can be a close contestant for that spot with the ability to score big in the subcontinent.
3. Kumar Sangakkara should be our wicketkeeper-batsman, with an average of 57+ and 12,000+ Test runs. With due respect to Gilchrist, he was never able to make his mark on subcontinent pitches while Sanga scored his runs both at home and overseas with ease. And Ricky Ponting can’t be my pick as again he was a regular failure in the subcontinent.

Mainak Saha

According to me, Ricky Ponting should be the captain of the team... I mean just look at his stats, he was fabulous throughout his career.... And someone like Alastair Cook should be given a chance in place of Gordon Greenidge as in today’s world, I think he is the number one batsman when it comes to Tests. And in place of Garry Sobers, Joe Root must be given a chance as he deserves  to be in the World XI.

Musaraf Ansari

I’m satisfied with Arun Lal sir’s World XI. But I want to make two changes. I want to replace Jacques Kallis with former England skipper Alastair Cook. Because this team needs a specialist opener and he is the best man to do this job. I also want to replace Dennis Lillee with Glenn McGrath. Because McGrath’s record in both Australia and overseas was better than anyone else in the world. A consistent performer over 14 years and his record says it all.

Sourav Das

I wish to include Martin Crowe in place of Ricky Ponting. Ricky was not tested against the mighty Australian bowling of his time. But Martin showed his class and ability against the world’s best bowling, except Richard Hadlee. And I would like to include Imran Khan in place of Dennis Lillee. Though Lillee was a great bowler, Imran proved himself all over the world. He was also a successful captain.

Ratan Kumar Dutta

Greenidge does not belong to this team and the likes of Matthew Hayden or Majid Khan could have been considered. My personal preference as fast bowlers would be Hadlee and Marshall, though one cannot dispute the selection of either Akram or Lillee. It’s a pity that the likes of Imran Khan and Ian Botham have to sit out but one can hardly do justice to all the splendid all-rounders who dazzled the cricketing world. In fact, two equally strong World XI teams could be prepared with the talent in reserve. Another team with a line-up consisting of Matthew Hayden, Kumar Sangakkara, Chappell, Javed Miandad, Mahela Jayawardene, Steve Waugh, Imran Khan, Marsh, Richard Hadlee, Malcolm Marshall and Abdul Qadir would not suffer in comparison to the one fielded by Arun Lal (though, I agree, the likes of Sobers and Richards are irreplaceable).

Sandeep Choudhary

Adam Gilchrist should be the No. 2 batsman opening the innings. He opened in many more matches than Jacques Kallis. Kallis may come in at No. 6 and the redoubtable Garry Sobers at No. 7. In the interest of this formidable World XI, the captain can make this sacrifice and adjustment.
12th man: Ian Botham.

Ranesh Chandra Dey

I want to replace Adam Gilchrist with Kumar Sangakkara as a wicketkeeper because first of all he is my favourite cricketer and, second, his talent and record make him deserve a position in the World XI.

Suchandra Kundu