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Recently, England has handed a thrashing to India in the second Test match of the series to take a lead of 2-0. It is a loss that has further strengthened a well-known fact that defeating England in England is a herculean task.
Historically as well, the subcontinent teams usually struggle in swinging and seaming conditions of England. But what if we send a combined Test team consisting of players from two Asian cricket giants, Pakistan and India? I know it’s not realistic for now, but sometimes dreams can be so enticing that you just can’t shy away from them.
After all who would not like a big partnership of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. Thoughts of Mohammad Amir and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling in tandem in cloudy skies of Headingley can be worth watching and the spin duo of R Ashwin and Yasir Shah can easily trouble the best of English batsmen on the fourth day at Lords. So let’s see who will make our Indo-Pak Test XI that can beat England in their own backyard.
1. Cheteshwar Pujara
A man with a compact defensive technique and a stable stance could play a vital role as an opener in the team. He has four and a half thousand Test runs with an average nearing 50’s. He has a determined mindset and his dogged approach draws comparisons with the Indian legend Rahul Dravid. He plays the ball as straight as possible and this can be crucial in English conditions.
2. Azhar Ali:
A man with a vast Test experience and sound technique will be our second opener of the team. He has mostly played at number 3 spot but his determination and composure have made him a very successful opener as well. After all his triple-century also came as an opener which justifies his ability to play the new ball.
It can be argued that both of our openers are quite defensive, but you have to bide your time and rely on your defence if you have to face James Anderson and Stuart Broad with the new ball in English conditions.
3. Haris Sohail:
A dynamic player and a rising talent, Haris Sohail will fill up our number 3 spot. Every left-handed batsman is stylish and Haris Sohail is no different. He comes with a good shot making abilities and has a decent defence as well.
This makes him more suitable to a spot that is considered as a backbone of any team in Test cricket. He can also provide with handy left-arm spin bowling option when needed, his 3 wickets for just 1 run recently against Sri Lanka proves this fact.
4. Virat Kohli:
So there was never any doubt about who will occupy this spot in our team. Virat Kohli is a modern legend and has been breaking records day after the other. He has an impeccable batting technique and profound shot-selection abilities. His sharp mind and record as Indian skipper have granted him the captaincy of this dream team as well.
5. Babar Azam
Babar Azam is making records in the shorter formats of the game but he has still not found his feet in the longest format. But the talent that Babar Azam has can easily justify his inclusion in this team, with the hope that he then justifies his talent.
He will come when hopefully the ball will be old and he will have to form a good partnership with Virat Kohli at the other end. Playing with Virat Kohli will also teach him a few lessons about how to play for as long as possible.
6. Sarfraz Ahmed
A canny and street-smart cricketer always makes his place in a team and Sarfraz has already made his mark by captaining the bottom-ranked side to a remarkable Champions Trophy triumph. His best performances have come in limited overs format but recently he has lead Pakistan Test side to draw a series in England which by no means is some normal feat.
His wicket-keeping skills can sometimes be questionable, but he makes up for them with his sharp mind and counterattacking batting. Thus he is the most suited wicket-keeper batsman of our Indo-Pak team.
7. Shadab Khan
Then comes the turn of all-rounders and number 7 spot is occupied by none other than the rising sensation Shadab Khan. He is an all-in-one package, a leggie with killer googly, a handy batsman who tries to imitate Steve Smith, and a sharp fielder to add some energy in the field.
He likes to take on challenges and his oozing confidence makes him the favourite to get picked ahead of Ravindra Jadeja and the veteran Yasir Shah.
8. Hardik Pandya
When playing in England, a fast-bowling all-rounder is always a necessity. Hardik Pandya is a well-deserved inclusion to fill up our number 8 vacancy. He is well-known for his explosive batting, which is likely to aid when he gets a chance to play with the tail-enders. With a test average of 32, he already has a century up to his sleeves.
His bowling attributes are also imminent. He is fond of learning and has already taken big steps in improving his bowling skills. He has learned the art to impart more pace and swing in his deliveries and can be a good first change-up for our team.
9. Ravichandran Ashwin
The veteran off-spinner might be well suited in spin-friendly conditions, but he has a potential to wrap up any team in just a session. So many left-handers in English side have also helped his inclusion in the team ahead of Yasir Shah.
He, in tandem with the leg-spin of Shadab, can be very lethal. He is a match-winner and it is not just his bowling, Ashwin has also got three Test match hundreds. A man who comes at number 9 adds great depth to our batting, and batting depth is what you need the most when playing in England.
10. Mohammad Amir
Swing, seam or movement whatever you ask, this man can deliver. English conditions suit him the best and his skills are never questioned. He can alone tear apart any batting line-up but the problem is that he has not been quite effective as he was before the shameful tragedy. With the hope that we see the real Mohammad Amir again, he will take the new ball for our Indo-Pak team.
11. Muhammad Abbas
In recent Pakistan-England Test series, he was thought to complement Mohammad Amir. But he ultimately snatched the spear-head role from him. He can make the ball move both ways from exactly the same line and length, and this quality makes him very much difficult to read. He demolished England in the first Test single-handedly.
He has already had a county stint and knows the English conditions well. He is a type of English seamer with less emphasis on pace and more so on seam and swing. He will share the new ball with Mohammad Amir and let’s see what England openers will deal against this duo.
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