A combined XI of India's men's and women's cricket teams

The ICC Women’s World Cup has begun a revolution of women’s cricket in the country. Despite losing in the finals to England, the grit, integrity, and determination with which the Women in Blue performed were exceptional.

Due to the lack of publicity before the World Cup, a lot of people did not even know the names of the Indian women cricketers. However, after the tournament, fans have been chanting each and every one’s names in unison and even flocking to stores to purchase jerseys with their favourite woman cricketer’s name at the back.

With the tournament now over, the focus shifts back to the men’s team with Virat Kohli and his boys taking on Sri Lanka in three Tests, five ODIs, and one T20I which begins on July 26.

As a fan of the sport, we can only wonder as to a combined playing eleven of both the men and women cricketers. In this article, we do exactly that and pick out 5 women and 6 men to form a playing XI.

Openers

Punam Raut

One of the most consistent performers in the Women’s World Cup this year, Punam Raut has not got the credit she deserves and ended up as one of the most underrated performers.

Her knock of 86 in the final against England went unnoticed due to the fact that India crumbled under pressure after her wicket and could not chase down the target set by England.

However, she performed exceptionally well throughout the tournament, giving India the much-needed start on a number of occasions after Smriti Mandhana failed to get going.

Shikhar Dhawan

Given his recent run of form for the Men in Blue, especially in the ICC Champions Trophy and his ability to perform in big tournaments and matches, Dhawan would be the ideal opener with Raut.

Also, the left-right combination could work better and thus Dhawan would be preferred over the big-hitting Rohit Sharma.

The 31-year-old has been exceptional in all ICC tournaments and has given India the perfect start at the top of the order.

He scored 338 runs in the tournament at an average of 67.60 and strike rate of 101.80 with two fifties and one century to his name.

Middle order

Virat Kohli

Arguably the greatest batsman right now, Virat Kohli continues to decimate opposition bowlers time and again, especially during a chase.

Currently the captain of the Men in Blue, he led India to the final of the ICC Champions Trophy but fell short at the final hurdle to Pakistan. He had a decent tournament with the bat scoring 258 runs at an average of129 and a strike rate of 98.85

He has broken numerous records in his career so far and could go on to become India’s greatest limited overs batsman ever. At no. 3 in the batting line-up, Kohli would steer the innings in the right direction and go big when its needed.

Mithali Raj (C)

The all-time leading run scorer in ODIs in women’s cricket, Mithali Raj will go down as the greatest Indian women’s cricketer ever.

Leading the side in the World Cup, the Women in Blue reached the final but lost the thriller against England.

The calmness and poise with which she led the side was admirable and the entire team looked up to her. Her tactics were applauded by many cricketers from around the world.

Her batting was exceptional as well as she finished as the 2nd leading run scorer in the tournament with 419 runs to her name, just one run behind the leader Tammy Beaumont.

With Kohli’s tactics as captain being questioned by many, Mithali would be the ideal captain of the side.

Harmanpreet Kaur

She made her name after becoming the first Indian to play in the Women’s Big Bash League earlier this year. India’s T20I captain, Harmanpreet did not perform too well for the majority of the tournament.

However, she stepped up when it mattered most and led India to the finals. She single -handedly defeated Australia in the semi-final with her blistering knock of 171 in just 110 deliveries. She performed well in the do-or-die encounter against New Zealand as well, and in the final too.

She would be the ideal batsman at no. 4 given her ability to score big and stay at the crease for a long time.

MS Dhoni

To have Mithali Raj and MS Dhoni on the same team would be a dream for any Indian fan. However, given the fact that Dhoni has given up the captaincy of all sides, Mithali would be the preferred captain.

With India not having found the replacement for Dhoni as a wicket-keeper, he would be the ideal man to stand behind the stumps.

His batting ability is not what it once used to be but the 36-year-old can still pack a punch once he settles down and gets going.

All-rounders

Deepti Sharma

One of the most underrated performers in the Indian cricket team, Deepti Sharma proved to be India’s best all-rounders in their successful World Cup campaign.

She has opened the innings on a number of occasions for India in the past and holds the record for the highest score by an Indian in ODIs when she scored 188 against Ireland.

She has troubled opposition batsmen with her bowling as well bowling quick through the air and generating a lot of turn.

Ravindra Jadeja

Given Ravichandran Ashwin’s poor run of form, Ravindra Jadeja would be preferred as the second spinner in the side.

He has transformed himself over the past few years and is one of the best bowlers in the Indian team right now.

He did not perform up to expectations in the ICC Champions Trophy but given his ability to pick up wickets at regular intervals and contain the opposition’s run-rate, he would be a perfect pick in the side.

Bowlers

Jhulan Goswami

One of the best bowlers in women’s cricket, this veteran pace bowler is the leading wicket taker in ODIs in the world.

She began her World Cup campaign on a poor note and was quite ineffective in the opening matches of the tournament. However, as the tournament progressed she got better and was one of the best bowlers in the semi-final and final.

Her delivery to dismiss Meg Lanning in the semi-final and her magnificent spell in the final will be remembered by Indian fans forever.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

From being a decent medium pace bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has transformed himself into one of the best ODI bowlers over the past few years.

His ability to swing the ball both ways makes him one of the best opening bowlers for the Men in Blue and his ability to bowl Yorkers makes him one of the best death bowlers in the side.

He has played 67 ODIs for India and has picked up 70 wickets at an average of 37.74

Jasprit Bumrah

Having made his way into the Indian side due to a successful IPL season in 2015, Jasprit Bumrah is currently one of the best T20I bowlers in the world and an incredible ODI bowler as well.

His toe crushing yorkers have given opposition batsmen nightmares and just like Bhuvi, he too can contain the opposition’s run rate.

His no-ball in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy might not be forgotten by Indian fans for years to come but he still continues to remain the go-to bowlers for the Men in Blue.

He has played 16 ODIs for India and has picked up 26 wickets at an average of 26.42