India's greatest ODI XI of all time

Bowlers

Ajit Agarkar

Probably the most underrated Indian fast bowler of all time, Ajit Agarkar was a force to be reckoned with during his prime, especially in the limited-over format. The lanky fast bowler still holds the record for the least number of matches played to take 50 ODI wickets.

One of the few Indian fast bowlers capable of reverse swinging the ball, Agarkar had the knack of taking wickets at regular intervals, which is evident from his career statistics. A handy lower-order batsman, Agarkar is India's third highest wicket-taker in ODIs and hence, an automatic choice for the opening bowler's slot in this team.

ODI Stats-

Innings - 188; Wickets - 288; Average - 27.85; Strike Rate - 32.9

Economy - 5.09; 4Wickets/5Wickets - 10/2; BBI - 6/42

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Anil Kumble

If one looks into the history of Indian Cricket, it becomes pretty clear that the Indian spinners always tend to operate as duos in Test Cricket. Be it Bedi-Prasanna, Kumble-Harbhajan or Ashwin-Jadeja, spinners have always destroyed the opposition together.

In the limited overs format, for the majority of the 2000s, it was a fight between two of India's highest wicket-taking spinners in Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.

For his match-winning performances during the 90s, where he won many matches for India single-handedly, Kumble gets the nod here in what has been the toughest choice in the whole lineup.

ODI Stats-

Innings - 263; Wickets - 334; Average - 30.83; Strike Rate - 43.0

Economy - 4.29; 4Wickets/5Wickets - 8/2; BBI - 6/12

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Zaheer Khan

India's premier fast bowler for almost 10 years, Zaheer Khan had a lot of bowling weapons in his arsenal. From reverse swing to the in-swinger and from outswinger to the cutter, Zaheer was master of all of those variations. Along with Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra and Irfan Pathan, Zaheer was the part of a solid Indian fast bowling group.

India's highest wicket-taker during the 2011 World Cup, Zaheer will always be one of the best Indian fast bowlers.

ODI Stats-

Innings - 191; Wickets - 269; Average - 36.4; Strike Rate - 36.4

Economy - 4.95; 4Wickets/5Wickets - 7/1; BBI - 5/42

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Javagal Srinath

India's primary fast bowler in the 1990s, Srinath formed a very solid opening bowling partnership with fellow Karnataka pacer Venkatesh Prasad. One of the fastest bowlers in the world during his early days, Srinath has the highest wickets in ODI among Indian fast bowlers and, hence, is an automatic choice in the all-time India XI.

Now a highly respected ICC Match Referee, Srinath was once one of the most feared fast bowlers in the world.

ODI Stats-

Innings - 227; Wickets - 315; Average - 28.08; Strike Rate - 37.8

Economy - 4.44; 4Wickets/5Wickets - 7/3; BBI - 5/23

Other Candidates - Harbhajan Singh, Venkatesh Prasad

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All Time India ODI XI

Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly(c), Virat Kohli, Mohammad Azharuddin, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni(wk), Kapil Dev, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath

Bench :- Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh, Venkatesh Prasad