Who are the only 4 England stars in the best England-India combined Test XI since 2000?
England and India have been fortunate enough to have some of the greatest Test cricketers in the history of the sport in their ranks.
From soldiers with the bat to magicians with the ball, the two nations have been spoilt for choice with some of the game’s richest talent at their disposal.
Here is Cricket365’s greatest England & India combined XI in Test cricket.
1. Rahul Dravid
Every opening pairing needs a solid defence, and Rahul ‘The Wall’ Dravid was the embodiment of patience and technical solidity in Test match cricket for India.
He calmly amassed 13,265 Test runs for India with his average of 52.63, highlighting just how difficult he was to dismiss, with bowlers unable to break through his resolute approach to batting over his 163 Test matches.
2. Alistair Cook
‘The Chef’ was England’s leading Test run scorer with 12,472 runs before being overtaken by Joe Root and offered the consistency at the top of the order that his nation so longed for between 2006 and 2018.
Renowned for his classy cut shots, the left-hander averaged 45.35 and scored runs at will. However, he only managed 11 sixes in his 161 Test matches – who knows if he’d still suit the modern game?
3. Sachin Tendulkar
The most admired batter in Test cricket history, Tendulkar scored a quite unbelievable 15,921 Test runs over 24 years, displaying his brilliance amidst his longevity.
To average 53.78 over 200 Test matches is an achievement we’ll likely never see again. Tendulkar is a global icon in India and undoubtedly the first name on the team sheet for Cricket365’s combined England and India XI.
4. Joe Root
England’s highest Test run scorer with no sign of slowing down, Root is a modern-day great whose immense run-scoring ability has delivered his nation 36 invaluable centuries in his esteemed career to date.
With the captaincy and the bat, he’s shaped the successes of English cricket in recent years, averaging 50.71 in his Test career to date.
5. Virat Kohli
‘King Kohli’ has recently retired from Test cricket but left his stamp as one of India’s great batters, captains and icons with 9,230 Test runs.
He simply had everything and there’s likely no one in Test cricket who enjoyed the occasion and rising to the challenge as much as Kohli over his 123-match career.
6. MS Dhoni (captain, wicketkeeper)
Donning the gloves for our combined XI will be India’s most successful captain, Dhoni, blending remaining calm under pressure with smart Test cricket captaincy, smacking valuable runs and claiming essential dismissals along the way.
His lower-order runs were invaluable, with 4876 Test runs for India at an average of 38.09 in his 90-match career.
7. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin, again recently retired, has been India’s prize off-spinner with 537 Test wickets while adding six centuries and 14 fifties with the bat to be included as Cricket365’s all-rounder in a bowling-heavy combined XI.
During his Test career, he was prolific with the ball in home conditions and equally effective away. He had a knack for getting the better of left-handed batters with his height generating lethal turn and bouncer throughout his career.
8. Stuart Broad
A giant of English pace bowling, Broad was famous for his fiery competitiveness and match-turning spells – you just knew wickets were coming when he was on a roll.
He collected 604 Test wickets at an average of 27.68 and used his exuberant persona to wind up the batters and always seemed to get his man.
9. Jasprit Bumrah
While his 210 Test wickets to date are less than those around him, it can’t be doubted that Bumrah is the most devastating Test bowler in world cricket at the moment and produces spells that are among the greatest we’ve seen in the sport.
He’s ruthless at home and adapts seamlessly to be prolific, taking wickets in abundance overseas.
10. Anil Kumble
India’s highest ever wicket taker in Test cricket and a pace bowling hero in the country, Kumble was another shoo-in on our list.
He took 619 Test wickets for his nation, as well as claiming 10 wickets in a match on eight separate occasions. Kumble was simply brilliant with the ball through 132 Test matches.
11. James Anderson
The ‘King of Swing’ is undoubtedly England‘s greatest with the most wickets for a fast bowler in the history of Test cricket.
He’s his nation’s sole member in the 700 Test wicket club with an incredible 32 five-wicket hauls to his name.
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