Team India are currently in England for a five-match Test series. The visitors are 2-1 down in the series and now face a must-win situation in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, which will be played from July 23 to July 27. India have had their moments in the series so far, but it would be fair to say that England have been the better side under pressure.
India went down to England by five wickets in the opening Test at Headingley in Leeds. The visitors made a strong comeback to clinch the second Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham by a record margin of 336 runs. In the third Test at Lord's, both India and England were neck-to-neck for a majority of the contest, but the hosts sneaked home in the end by 22 runs.
Over the years, a number of right-handed batters and bowlers have played stellar roles in India's Test triumphs in England. In this feature, we pick India's all-time right-handed Test playing.
Top order: Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid
Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag would be the openers in India's all-time right-handed Test playing 11. While Gavaskar was a master technician, Sehwag was renowned for his daring strokeplay. As such, the duo would complement each other perfectly at the top of the batting order.
Gavaskar played 125 Test matches and amassed 10,122 runs at an averaging of 51.12, with the aid of 34 hundreds and 45 half-centuries. As for Sehwag, he featured in 103 Tests and scored 8,503 runs at an average of 49.43, with the aid of 23 hundreds and 31 half-centuries, which included two triple centuries.
Former captain Rahul Dravid would occupy the crucial No. 3 position in India's all-time right-handed Test playing 11. Dravid was a rock in the Indian batting order for a decade and a half. He played 163 Test matches and amassed 13,265 runs at an average of 52.63, with the aid of 36 hundreds and 63 half-centuries.
Middle order & All-rounders: Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli (c), Syed Kirmani (wk), Kapil Dev, Ravichandran Ashwin
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar was an easy choice for No. 4 in the India's all-time right-handed Test playing 11. At his prime, he was the team's best batter irrespective of conditions. He still holds a number of batting records in the format. In 200 Tests, Tendulkar amassed 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78, with the aid of 51 hundreds and 68 half-centuries.
Virat Kohli would be the captain of India's all-time right-handed Test playing 11. He struggled as a batter in the post-COVID era. However, he was brilliant as captain of the Indian Test team. The leadership phase also brought out the best in him. Overall, Kohli played 123 Test matches and scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. His stats included 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.
Syed Kirmani pipped MS Dhoni for the wicketkeeper-batter's slot in the India's all-time right-handed Test playing 11. Kirmani was superb behind the wickets and is widely regarded as India's greatest stumper ever. He was also a decent batter, who often contributed when the chips were down. In 88 Tests, Kirmani scored 2,759 runs, with the aid of two hundreds and 12 half-centuries.
Kapil Dev and Ravichandran Ashwin would be the all-rounders in India's all-time right-handed Test playing 11. As clichéd as it may read, Kapil inspired a generation of young cricketers to take up fast bowling. As a batter, he often played T20-type knocks in the Test era. Kapil featured in 131 Test matches, claiming 434 wickets and scoring 5,248 runs. He claimed 23 five-fers and hit eight hundreds.
Ashwin was near unplayable in Indian conditions, barring a handful of Test series in which he failed to make a big impact. The former India off spinner ended his career with 106 matches in which he claimed 537 wickets at an average of exactly 24, with the aid of 37 five-fers and eight four-fers. He was a handy batter, who scored 3,503 Test runs, which included six tons and 14 fifties.
Bowlers: Anil Kumble, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
Apart from Kapil, current generation pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami would be the fast bowlers in India's all-time right-handed Test playing 11. Bumrah has an exceptional record in Test cricket. In 47 matches, he has picked up 217 scalps, averaging 19.48, with 15 five-fers. Bumrah has been India's best fast bowler in Test cricket by a distance since his red-ball debut.
Shami also has an impressive Test record. In 64 matches, he has claimed 229 wickets at an average of 27.71, with six five-fers to his credit. The right-arm pacer has delivered some terrific match-winning spells. But for injuries, he might have crossed the 300-wicket mark by now in Test cricket.
India's leg spin legend Anil Kumble made a slow start to his Test career. For the initial half, the unconventional spinner only tasted success at home. Kumble, however, worked on his skills to become one of India's great match-winners ever with the ball. He ended with 619 Test wickets from 132 matches at an average of 29.65, with 35 five-fers and eight 10-wicket match hauls.
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