Former DC all-rounder picks India-Afghanistan all-time XI; leaves out Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni

Former Delhi Capitals (DC) all-rounder Gulbadin Naib picked an all-time India-Afghanistan XI ahead of the much-awaited 2025 Asia Cup, starting September 9. The Afghanistan star went with wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz and dashing youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal as his two openers.

While the former is one of the most exciting white-ball batters in world cricket, the latter has established himself as one of the best openers in the Test and T20I formats.

Naib picked ace batter Virat Kohli as his No. 3, followed by up-and-coming Mumbai Indians (MI) left-hander Tilak Varma at No. 4. Kohli is third all-time in run scored and centuries in international cricket.

Meanwhile, Tilak has already scored two T20I tons in his still young international career.

Naib chose Afghanistan's most accomplished all-rounder, Mohammad Nabi, at No.5, followed by star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya at No. 6. Nabi is Afghanistan's all-time leading run-scorer across formats with almost 6,000 runs and second in wickets with 281 scalps.

On the other hand, Hardik played a massive role in India's recent triumphs at the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy. Naib's final all-rounder spot was a tie between the talented Azmatullah Omarzai and India's veteran Ravindra Jadeja.

Rashid Khan came in as the obvious choice at No. 8, being Afghanistan's all-time leading wicket-taker with 405.

Gulbadin Naib goes Afghanistan-dominant for his specialist bowlers in the all-time XI

Gulbadin Naib picked ace Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah as one of his specialist bowlers, followed by teammates Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Naveen-ul-Haq at No. 10 and 11.

Bumrah boasts an incredible Test record with 219 wickets at an average of under 20 in 48 matches. He also has 238 white-ball wickets for India and was the Player of the Tournament in the side's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.

Meanwhile, Mujeeb is third all-time among Afghanistan bowlers in wickets with 165 in 125 games. Naveen is seventh on the list with 89 scalps in 63 matches across formats.

Furthermore, Naib chose Rashid Khan as the captain of his India-Afghanistan all-time XI.

Gulbadin Naib's all-time India-Afghanistan XI

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Mohammad Nabi, Hardik Pandya, Azmatullah Omarzai/Ravindra Jadeja, Rashid Khan (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq