India's greatest ODI XI of all time

Middle Order

Virat Kohli

At just 29, Virat Kohli is already a legend of the sport. It is impossible to compile a modern-day cricketing XI and not have the Indian captain in that list. Since Kohli has played at number 3 for a large part of his international and, most importantly, scored heavily, he is the perfect choice to come in to bat after the loss of first wicket.

The run-machine has 34 ODI hundreds to his name. With an already strong top order, Kohli will act as the player who anchors the innings along with the batsmen who follow him.

ODI Stats

Matches - 206; Runs - 9423; Average - 57.45; Strike Rate - 91.88

100s/50s - 34/46; Highest - 183

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Mohammad Azharuddin

Mohammad Azharuddin doesn't get enough credit for his cricketing skills. The captain of the Indian cricket team for the better part of 1990s, Azharuddin was a rock solid batsman in the middle order. He played at number 4, 5 and even at 6, but he was always consistent and scored runs from every position.

It is not possible to leave him out of this squad, especially when one considers the fact that by the time he called a day to his international career, he was the highest run scorer in the history of ODI cricket.

ODI Stats

Matches - 334; Runs - 9378; Average - 36.92; Strike Rate - 74.02

100s/50s - 7/58; Highest - 153*

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Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh was India's primary middle-order batsman for many years. The southpaw was a steady performer for India and not only scored runs consistently but did so at a very good strike rate. During the second half of his illustrious career, he added a new weapon to his arsenal and became India's permanent 5th bowling option.

His prowess in that role was evident from his Player of the Tournament performance in the 2011 World Cup. With three front line fast bowlers and a fast bowling allrounder, Yuvraj fits best as the second spin bowling option in this team as well.

ODI Stats-

Matches - 301; Runs - 8609; Average - 36.47; Strike Rate - 87.43

100s/50s - 14/52; Highest - 150; Wickets - 110

Other Candidates - Rahul Dravid