Brendon McCullum picks his All-Time XI; Sachin Tendulkar only Indian cricketer who makes it

What’s the story?

One of New Zealand cricket’s greatest captains Brendon McCullum has picked his All-Time XI, comprising some of the best players to have played the sport.

McCullum only picked the legendary Sachin Tendulkar from India alongside four Australians, three West Indians, one South African and two Kiwis.

In case you didn’t know...

Over the past year or so, the Lord’s Cricket Ground have been announcing several All-Time XIs of some legendary cricketers including some present ones who have been quite impressive with their selections. In the past, modern icons like Ricky Ponting and Alastair Cook have also announced their All-Time XIs.

The heart of the matter

The former Kiwi skipper has picked a lethal combination of Chris Gayle and Sachin Tendulkar to open the batting for his side. Both have been exceptional top order batsmen throughout their respective careers and there is no doubt any team would have liked to have the duo opening for them.

At No. 3 McCullum has listed Australia’s World Cup winning captain Ricky Ponting who took cricket in the island country to great heights after taking over from Steve Waugh.

Former West Indies mainstay Brian Lara follows Ponting and next, we have the captain of the outfit, the legendary Viv Richards. Jacques Kallis and Adam Gilchrist complete the middle order which looks absolutely destructive on paper.

McCullum starts off by filling in the names of former Australian pacer and spin legend Shane Warne first in his bowling line up and then surprisingly adds Tim Southee and Trent Boult to the outfit saying they have contributed immensely to lift the standard of New Zealand cricket in the last few years.

Brendon McCullum's All-Time XI: Chris Gayle, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Viv Richards (captain), Jacques Kallis, Adam Gilchrist, Mitchell Johnson, Shane Warne, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.

What’s next?

The Lord’s management picked one of the most ruthless batsmen in modern times to pick an All-Time XI this time and it would be interesting to see who they choose next. Not many Indians have got their chance to name their best XI, so someone like a Rahul Dravid or a Sourav Ganguly can be considered for doing something like it.

Sportskeeda’s Take

Although McCullum has picked one of the best XIs ever, he could have easily opted for someone like an Anil Kumble or Muttiah Muralitharan in place of Boult as the second spinner. Although Boult has been quite impressive in the last few years, he doesn’t fit into this bracket yet.