COC presents the All-Time Team India ODI XI

This all-time XI features the best ODI players Indian team has ever produced.

Team India has become one of the most dominant teams in One-Day internationals from being underdogs to powerhouses in international cricket. Team India played their first ODI in 1974 against England and also participated in the inaugural Prudential World Cup in 1975.

As of 2^nd March 2019, Team India has played a total of 962 ODI matches. They have won 499 matches and lost 414 matches with 9 ties and 40 no results, giving them a win percentage of 54.60.

India during its initial phase was considered an underdog, winning just 2 matches in the first two editions of World Cup. But everything changed with India winning the 1983 World Cup in England, beating the two-time World Champions West Indies in the finals. Then in 1985, Indian team also won the World Series in Australia, a multi-team tournament.

As the scope of ODI cricket increased, the game came to India and with the advent of satellite TV, cricket became the most popular sport in India and has ascended the levels of madness in the subcontinent.

Taking all accomplishments into consideration since the last 45 years of India’s ODI history, Team COC presents the All-Time Team India ODI XI.  

SACHIN TENDULKAR
18426 runs in 463 ODIs, 49x100s, 96x50s, Ave: 44.83, HS: 200*, SR: 86.23

No one has scored a greater number of runs and has hit more centuries in ODI cricket than the great Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar started off in ODIs against Pakistan at the age of 16 with ducks in his first two ODI matches.

He then came into his own in the 1992 Benson and Hedges World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and became one of the greatest players when he started opening in ODIs for India in 1994. Since this promotion, Sachin went on to become the greatest player in One-Day Internationals with more than 18000 runs in 463 ODI matches in a career that spanned 23 years and included appearances in five World Cup tournaments. He is widely regarded as the greatest opener to play the ODI format.

Tendulkar was also the first batsman in ODI history to make a double century when he scored 200* against South Africa in 2010. He was also the first batsman in ODIs to score 10,000 runs and subsequent landmarks until his retirement. He fell one century short of achieving 50 centuries in ODIs, to go along with 96 fifties in the format.

Sachin Tendulkar warrants entry into any all-time XI in any format and he makes it into the COC All-Time Team India ODI XI.

SOURAV GANGULY
11363 runs in 311 ODIs, 22x100s, 72x50s, Ave: 41.02, HS: 183, SR: 73.70

Sourav Ganguly will partner Sachin Tendulkar in COC All-Time Team India ODI XI. The duo is hailed as the greatest opening combination in ODI cricket and it will be criminal to not include them in the all-time XI. The duo added 6609 runs in 136 ODI innings with the highest partnership of 258 runs and 21-century partnerships with an average of 49.32.

As an individual batsman, Sourav Ganguly matched the best of the best in the format. He played 311 ODIs from 1991-2007, and captained India from 2000-2005, leading them to the finals of the ICC World Cup in 2003. Widely regarded as the God of the offside stroke play, Ganguly is credited with changing the mindset of Indian cricket, bringing in the much-needed competitiveness and aggression to go head to head against the best of the best.  

VIRAT KOHLI
10577 runs 223 ODIs, 39x100s, 49x50s, Ave: 59.42, HS: 183, SR: 92.61

A modern great and current Indian captain, Virat Kohli is poised to break many of the records set by Sachin Tendulkar in the ODI format. He already has 10,000 plus runs in 223 ODIs and is second on the list of most ODI centuries with 39 hundreds to his name.

Kohli has earned the moniker of ‘chase master’ thanks to his amazing record while batting second and chasing down totals. His aggressive batting has led to India chasing down totals of over 350 with ease and he can take the leading role in a team which has stroke makers like Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma starting the innings.

What has amazed the experts and fans as well as his average which stands at 59.42, cementing him as the greatest modern ODI batsman, which he adorns with a strike rate of 92.61.

ROHIT SHARMA
7845 runs in 202 ODIs, 22x100s, 39x50s, Ave: 47.54, HS: 264, SR: 88.08
The King of ODI double hundreds, Rohit Sharma had a change of fortunes ever since he started opening for India in 2013. Since then, he has scored three double hundreds in ODI cricket, including the world record 264, the second highest List-A score.

Sharma has revamped his game to become one of the most dangerous players in 50-over international format. He has 7845 runs in 202 ODIs with 22 centuries and has been also brilliant as a stand-in captain of the team, winning the Asia Cup in 2018 and beating Sri Lanka at home in limited overs series.

Sharma is unfortunate to play in the same playing XI which features Virat Kohli, who overshadows his accomplishments, but Rohit has managed to carve a niche out for himself amidst other openers.  

YUVRAJ SINGH
8701 runs & 111 wkts in 304 ODIs, 14x100s, 52x50s, Ave: 36.55, HS: 150, SR: 87.67
Probably one of the all-time ODI greats, Yuvraj Singh started in the format at the age of 18, scoring a brilliant 84 against Australia in the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy. Since then, Yuvraj became one of the greats of the game in the Indian middle order, including a Player of the tournament performance in India’s 2011 ICC World Cup and performances which helped India attain greatness in ODI cricket.

Regarded as one of the cleanest hitters of the ball, Yuvraj’s life story includes playing the 2011 World Cup with an illness that was later diagnosed as cancer of lungs and then beating the illness to make a brilliant comeback. He formed a formidable partnership with MS Dhoni for the middle order in the mid-2000s and though his career has stalled with the youngsters making their mark, Yuvraj will remain an all-time ODI great player.

MS DHONI (C&WK)
10474 runs & 432 victims in 339 ODIs, 10x100s, 71x50s, Ave: 51.09, HS: 183*, SR: 87.65

All that can be written for India’s 2011 World Cup winning captain MS Dhoni has been written and even a movie was made on his life until him hitting that World Cup lifting six at Wankhede Stadium. MS Dhoni started off with a duck on his ODI debut, but then morphed as a brutal hitter of the ball and his helicopter shot has become a part of Dhoni’s folklore.

Dhoni is India’s only batsman to hit 350 international sixes and only batsman to make 10,000 runs while batting in the middle-lower order in ODIs. Apart from being the greatest finisher in ODIs, Dhoni has been an amazing wicket-keeper, being the only one to have more than 100 stumpings in the 50-over format.

MS Dhoni, as captain brought Indian team many accolades and his acute understanding of the game still helps Virat Kohli, who took over from him. His game has changed from that of being a brutal hitter of the ball to an accumulator of runs.

But whatever happens in the upcoming 2019 World Cup, MS Dhoni will go down in the history as an all-time ODI great wicketkeeper, finisher, and captain.

KAPIL DEV
3783 runs & 253 wkts in 225 ODIs, 1x100s, 14x50s, HS: 175, BB: 5/43, Eco: 3.71

The first Indian captain to win a World Cup, Kapil Dev changed the face of cricket in India with that immortal win. Cricket reached new heights with Kapil Dev’s World Cup win and India became a cricket powerhouse, all thanks to the man from Haryana.

Kapil Dev was also the first Indian to score an ODI century when his all-time great ODI knock of 175* helped India beat Zimbabwe in a must-win match from a position of India being 17/5 in the 1983 World Cup. Kapil Dev never scored another hundred in ODIs, but played many cameos with a strike rate of 95.47 at a time when reaching 200 meant a sure win in ODI cricket.

Apart from his explosive batting, Kapil Dev’s searing yorkers won India many matches and Kapil even picked an ODI hat-trick, against Sri Lanka in 1991. He ended up with most wickets to his name- 253 in ODIs and will go in as an all-time great in any world XI.

HARBHAJAN SINGH
269 wkts & 1237 runs in 236 ODIs, BB: 5/31, Eco: 4.31

Harbhajan Singh made his debut at a tender age of 17 in 1998 and since then played 236 ODIs for India, picking 269 wickets including a best of 5/31. Harbhajan Singh is probably one of the most successful off-spinners in the world and his ability to pick wickets in the middle of the innings, helped India immensely during their 2011 World Cup winning run.  

ANIL KUMBLE
337 wkts in 271 ODIs, BB: 6/12, Eco: 4.30
The highest wicket-taker for India in ODIs, Anil Kumble wrote his name in the history of ODIs when he picked the then best ODI figures for India- 6/12 against West Indies in the finals of Hero Cup in 1994. Kumble went on to become the second Indian bowler to pick 300 wickets in ODIs and ended up with 337 wickets. Kumble was the highest wicket-taker in the 1996 Wills World Cup.

ZAHEER KHAN
282 wkts in 200 ODIs, BB: 5/42, Eco: 4.90
Zaheer Khan was a truly world class bowler who had a long career for India, playing 90 Tests and 200 ODIs. Zaheer first broke onto the scene at the age of 20 in the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy with his ability to bowl at over 90 mph. His amazing ability to reverse swing the ball at high speeds helped India reached the finals of the 2003 World Cup.

Zaheer modified himself as a brilliant bowler with all variations by the time 2011 World Cup rolled in and with 21 wickets to his name, Zaheer ended up as the joint most wicket-taker in the tournament and helped India lift the World Cup Trophy. Zaheer ended up with 282 wickets in ODIs and forever cemented his legacy as one of the greatest fast bowlers to play the game.

JAVAGAL SRINATH
315 wkts in 229 ODIs, BB: 5/23, Eco: 4.44
Javagal Srinath was the first true fast bowler to emerge on the international scene from India. He debuted in 1991 and gained critical acclaim for his speed and accuracy. He served India for a long time, and despite injuries hampering his career and lessened his speed, Srinath continued bowling at high class.

He bowed out of the game on a high, helped India reach the 2003 World Cup finals with a brilliant Man of the Match performance against Sri Lanka in the tournament. He was the first Indian bowler to pick up 300 wickets in ODIs and is still the only Indian fast bowler with over 300 wickets in ODIs.