Shane Warne picks his all time Indian XI – and here’s why he left out Dhoni and Kohli!

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Image Courtesy: Getty/AFP

While the novel Coronavirus pandemic has caused major cricketing fixtures to come to a complete halt, iconic names like Shane Warne have the right method to keep the fans entertained. The legendary Aussie spinner recently went live on Instagram, where he formed an “All Time Indian XI” team, picking the quintessential cricketers from different generations of Team India. However, the veteran bowler, to his followers’ surprise, left out Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli, but has also provided the reason to do so.

Image Courtesy: Getty/AFP

Warne’s Indian XI squad featured the Indian cricket stalwarts from different era, from Kapil Dev to Sourav Ganguly, the latter whom he elected to be the captain of the squad. However, leaving Dhoni and Kohli- two revered to be one of the greatest Indian cricketers to ever grace the 22 yards- didn’t make the cut in the former Australia international’s team.

However, the only reason Warne did so was because he was choosing the players based on those he faced during his career. As the 50 year old never faced Dhoni or Kohli in any Test match, the two legendary batsmen were left out, as he clarified in the live session.

The opening duo featured Virender Sehwag and Navjot Singh Sidhu, especially hailing the latter for his expertise against spin bowlers.

“I had to pick Navjot Singh Sidhu because he was the best player against spin I have ever played against, all the other spinners I have played with, they have also told me that Siddhu was brilliant against them,” Warne said.

About choosing the captaincy, it was a close tie between Ganguly and VVS Laxman, but Warne went ahead with Dada at the end: “I went for Ganguly because I wanted him to be the captain of my side, that is why VVS Laxman missed out.”

Picking Sachin Tendulkar was obviously a no-brainer, and Warne also mentioned his relation with Rahul Dravid behind selecting him for the squad.

“Dravid became a friend over the years, I got to know him during a stint with Rajasthan Royals, he made plenty of hundreds against us. One of the best knocks was when Hampshire was playing against Kent and Rahul made a terrific hundred,” Warne recalled his early days of the Indian Premier League.

Shane Warne’s All-Time Indian XI: Virender Sehwag, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly (c), Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh, Nayan Mongia, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath.

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