World XI that can beat the Indian Test team in India

Openers

In spite of his poor run, Cook is better than most of the batsmen against spin

In spite of scoring just 4 centuries in his last 98 innings, Alastair Cook is still the best Test opener, who can bat well irrespective of the conditions.

Cook has the knack of doing well in India and hardly struggled against the Indian spinners in his first two tours to the country and in his third, he was better than most of the batsmen in the series with 369 runs at an average of 37.

So, the former English captain is an automatic choice to open the batting. The role of his opening partner, though, was a tough choice as it had two of the World's best competing against each other.

Australian opener David Warner has been a revelation for his team in this format over the last few months, but the left-hander hardly gave the Indian spinners a run for their money when he toured India in the past. Also, his performances have not been convincing outside Australia and this puts him out of contention for a place in the XI.

Azhar Ali is one of the most underrated batsmen at the moment

The batsman who will be accompanying Cook at the top of the order will be Pakistan's Azhar Ali. Though Azhar is yet to play a Test against India or in India, he has been impressive for the Men in Green in the longer format irrespective of where his team has played in the last few years.

Azhar, who is one of the most under-appreciated Test batsmen at the moment, has scored runs all over the World and is ranked seventh in the ICC Test rankings. He also has a solid technique against spin and given that he has played most of his matches in the conditions that are similar to the ones a player gets in India, he will be a valuable player for this team.

Players considered for this position: Alistair Cook, David Warner and Azhar Ali.