Here is the best Team India Playing XI in Test cricket since the year 2000.
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There was an influx of new blood in the team and new leadership made them competitive even on foreign tours and at home against top teams of the era since then. The fans also saw some amazing players coming through this time and doing some amazing performances for the Indian team in the Test format.
Keeping that in mind, Team COC presents the Best Team India Test XI since 2000
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Cheteshwar Pujara might have batted at no.3 almost entirety of his career, but he has opened on occasions. He has a stellar career in Tests and has become a one-format player nowadays. With 5840 runs in 77 Tests, with 18 centuries and a best of 206* with an average of 48.66, Pujara has cemented his spot in the Test side for the foreseeable future.
Sachin Tendulkar ended up with 15921 runs in 200 Tests at an average of 53.78 with 51 centuries to his name. He fulfilled the potential showed when he made his debut in 1989 at the age of 16 and brought nothing but glory to his country and his name. Tendulkar remains the favorite and inspiration of many other cricketers not only from India but from around the world.
Virat Kohli will be captaining our Best Team India XI since the 2000s given that he is the only captain to win a Test series in Australia. Kohli has led from the front ever since taking over from MS Dhoni in 2015 in the format. As a batsman, he has rightfully taken over from the master Sachin Tendulkar and currently is the no.1 ranked batsman in ICC Test rankings. He has 7240 runs from 86 Tests with 27 centuries at an average of 53.62.
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MS Dhoni is perhaps the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman to play for India thanks to his amazing batting prowess. He played 90 Tests, making 4876 runs with 6 centuries and is the only Indian keeper to score a double-ton, which came against Australia.
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The master leg spinner played 132 Tests and picked 619 wickets at an average of 29.65. His best bowling performance came against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999, when he picked all ten wickets in the innings, making him only the second bowler after Jim Laker to achieve the feat.
Jasprit Bumrah might be an odd choice, given that he made his Test debut in 2018, but has shown great skills and learning curve to be included in this list. In his short career of 14 Tests, Bumrah has picked 68 wickets which included five-wicket hauls in South Africa, England, Australia, and West Indies. He also has a Test hat-trick to his name, the third Indian bowler to do so and his best bowling figures are 6/27.
He might be new but has impressed one and all with his performances with the red ball on the world stage.
For the 12th man, we pick Ravindra Jadeja who has developed into a brilliant all-rounder. He has 213 wickets and 1869 runs in 49 Tests so far. His best bowling figures are 7/48 and he has one Test century to his name along with 14 half-centuries. His fielding is just a bonus for the team to have.
COC presents India's best XI since 2000:
Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli (C), VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni (WK), R Ashwin, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja (12th man)