Aakash Chopra picks India-England combined 21st-century Test XI, no place for Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni

Former India player Aakash Chopra has picked a combined Test XI comprising Indian and English cricketers who have played in the 21st century. Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are among the prominent players who failed to find a place in the hypothetical side.

India and England are currently playing for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. England are 2-1 ahead, with the fourth Test of the five-match series scheduled to start in Manchester on Wednesday, July 23.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India batter chose Virender Sehwag and Alastair Cook as his two openers.

"Who should be the openers? I think there is no question or doubt about that. You will have to keep Virender Sehwag on one side. He has two triple centuries and a lot of runs to his name. Along with him, no one is challenging Alastair Cook either. One keeps hitting and the other plays stubbornly, but both score big runs," he said (2:00).

While highlighting the close competition between Rahul Dravid and Joe Root for the No. 3 position, Chopra opted to go with the former.

"Then comes the most difficult answer - Rahul Dravid or Joe Root? I am absolutely split right down the middle. As I am Indian and have played with Jammy, I will definitely want to keep Rahul bhai in my team, but I won't argue with you if you keep Joe Root in your team," he reasoned.

The former India opener noted that Sachin Tendulkar should undoubtedly occupy the No. 4 position.

"At No. 4, there is no contest. I am going with Sachin Tendulkar. Why would you argue against that? He is the finest ever. You wonder if anyone else could have been there - No," Chopra observed.

Chopra chose Virat Kohli ahead of Kevin Pietersen for the No. 5 position.

"At No. 5, there is a discussion. It could be Kevin Pietersen or Virat Kohli. If you are an English person, you may want to go with Pietersen, but then there is Virat Kohli. I don't know how you can leave Virat Kohli out. So I am going wth Virat Kohli at No. 5," he stated.

The cricketer-turned-commentator picked Rishabh Pant as the wicketkeeper-batter.

"At No. 6, I have got Rishabh Pant. Suddenly, it seems like I am making an Indian team. When I think about a keeper, I don't remember anyone from England about whom you would say that his name should be there," Chopra elaborated.

Chopra chose Ben Stokes ahead of Andrew Flintoff as the seam-bowling all-rounder.

"At No. 7, I have got Ben Stokes. There was a toss-up between Ben Stokes and Andrew Flintoff here. Flintoff has been outstanding. Who can forget the 2005 Ashes? However, Ben Stokes, the man for the big moments. We have nobody who can compete with him in the 21st century," he explained.

Ben Stokes has amassed 6,891 runs at an average of 35.15 and picked up 224 wickets at an average of 32.02 in 114 Tests. Andrew Flintoff scored 3,845 runs at an average of 31.77 and accounted for 226 dismissals at an average of 32.78 in 79 Tests.

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"I will have to pick Ravichandran Ashwin" - Aakash Chopra on the 4 frontline bowlers in his India-England combined XI

Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 537 wickets at an average of 24.00 in 106 Tests. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra picked Ravichandran Ashwin as his first-choice frontline spinner in all conditions.

"After that, I have kept Ravichandran Ashwin's name. I will play with only one spinner if the matches are in England. You can think about Graeme Swann as well, but how can you leave Ashwin out? You can think about Harbhajan Singh as well, but just the weight of performances over a very long period of time, I will have to pick Ravichandran Ashwin," he said (7:15).

The analyst chose James Anderson and Jasprit Bumrah as his first two specialist seamers.

"After that, I will keep three fast bowlers, in which Sir Jimmy Anderson is right up there. He is a champion. Jasprit Bumrah is going to be there, whether the match is in India or England," Chopra observed.

Chopra noted that he would pick either Stuart Broad or Ravindra Jadeja as his fourth frontline bowler, depending on where the match is being hosted.

"At No. 11, if the matches are happening in England, I will think about Zaheer Khan, but keep Stuart Broad. He is a phenomenal bowler in these conditions. In India, I will need another spinner. Then I will keep Ravindra Jadeja's name," he elaborated.

Aakash Chopra's India-England combined 21st-century Test XI: Virender Sehwag, Alastair Cook, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ben Stokes, Ravichandran Ashwin, James Anderson, Jasprit Bumrah, Stuart Broad/Ravindra Jadeja