One-Day cricket has had an interesting time in the twenty-first century. During this time, the general level of fielding, as well as the hitting and bowling components of the game, has skyrocketed. India has won two ODI World Cups in the past, in 1983 and 2011. Only 30 players have kissed the World Cup since 1974, out of a total of 231 who have worn the Indian shirt in ODI cricket.
In the previous two decades, the club has been blessed with an abundance of skills. Several players are vying for a spot on the Indian ODI team of the twenty-first century. Here we look at the best ODI xi of all time for India in the history of cricket.
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Virender Sehwag
On any given day, one of India’s most destructive players will be the ideal pick to begin the innings since he can kill the bowling attack in the first powerplay. In the early years of the century, he was one of the main reasons for the team’s success. With the aid of 15 100s and 38 50s, Sehwag scored 8273 runs with a strike rate of 104.34 and an average of 35.06 in 251 ODI appearances for his country. He’s also got 96 wickets under his belt.
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Rohit Sharma
Sharma was considered a gifted batsman who was expected to go far in his career. However, he was more promise than potential in the early years of his career. Sharma had a low ODI average of 30.43 from 81 innings at the end of 2012, hitting only two hundreds. All of that changed in 2013 when the right-hander was given the chance to bat first against England in Mohali. Sharma has the highest individual score in an ODI innings with 264 runs. In 2019, he became the first and only batsman in World Cup history to score five hundreds in a single edition.
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Sachin Tendulkar
At the early age of 16, Tendulkar, a childhood prodigy, was picked to play for India. From 1989 until 2012, the right-hander was a regular run-scorer for India throughout a spectacular 23-year career. He is the first batter in ODI cricket history to score a double century. He has numerous cricketing records to his name and is perhaps the finest batsman cricket has ever produced in his 23-year career. He appeared in 463 One-Day Internationals for India, amassing 18426 runs at an average of 44.83 with 49 centuries and 96 fifties.
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Virat Kohli
Kohli is regarded as Sachin Tendulkar’s genuine heir, and his statistics back up this claim. Every time our Run Machine steps out to the middle, he strives to score as many runs as he can, and it is because of this hunger that he has become the King of Cricket. Kohli has an insatiable appetite for runs, because to his superb technique and innate talent. Every time the 31-year-old steps out to the middle, he has a laser-like focus on scoring as many runs as he can.
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Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh made his mark on the international scene in 2000, when India faced Australia in the ICC Knockout Trophy quarterfinal. He is the driving force behind India’s World Cup victory in 2011. Singh was also a capable left-arm spinner who provided crucial breakthroughs when the team needed it most.
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MS Dhoni (C & WK)
The captain of the 2011 World Cup-winning team is without a doubt the finest captain in the game’s history, and he will go down in history as the best captain of all-time 11. Fans will never forget his heroics in the 2011 World Cup final and the six he struck to win the tournament for India. He has won all of the main ICC titles.
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Irfan Pathan
Pathan’s career may have ended abruptly, but it doesn’t take away from an outstanding run in Indian colors. Pathan was a revelation when he first came to prominence on the international stage, and he was consistently effective with the white ball during the first half of his career.
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Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev, the man who unquestionably transformed the face of Indian cricket, was a fantastic game-changer with both the ball and the bat. The 1983 World Cup-winning skipper was one of India’s all-time best cricketers. He was the best all-around player the country had ever produced. Dev scored 3783 runs with a strike rate of 95.07 in 225 ODIs and took 253 wickets with an economy of just 3.72, which is exceptional.
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Anil Kumble
Although Kumble’s one-day career was not as successful as his Test career, he remains India’s most successful bowler in the format and the third-most prolific spinner of all time. He is one of India’s finest spinners, having taken 334 wickets in 269 games at an average of 30.83 and an economy rate of 4.29.
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Zaheer Khan
Khan, perhaps one of the finest left-arm Indian fast bowlers to ever play the game, collected 282 wickets at an average of 29.42 in 200 matches. He was the captain of the Indian pace attack that won the World Cup in 2011, and he was also the tournament’s top wicket-taker with 21 scalps.
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Mohammad Shami
One of the outstanding players in the current Indian squad, Mohammad Shami, is one of the most complete bowlers in the world. Express speed, a toe-crushing yorker, and the ability to swing the ball both ways are among his most noticeable characteristics.