Javagal Srinath

Shashi Tharoor feels picking an all-time India eleven is hard to resist for any fan. Shashi Tharoor picked his Test eleven, which is fit to carry the nation’s banners onto the field in the highest form of the game, not the limited-overs format. Shashi Tharoor limited himself to players from a little more than the past half-century as he watched his first Test match at the age of seven, in 1963, as he felt that it would be appropriate not to include cricketers who had retired before.

The likes of Vinoo Mankad, who could win (or save) matches for India with both the bat and his wily left-arm spin, was surely an immortal, but he didn’t find a place since Shashi Tharoor had never seen him ply his craft, even though he knows that he attained the ‘double’ of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in only his 23rd Test. Similarly, the likes of Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, and Vijay Manjrekar, the redoubtable Polly Umrigar or the mercurial Dattu Phadkar on the basis of their averages alone didn’t find a place in Shashi Tharoor’s XI.

Shashi Tharoor Picks Sunil Gavaskar And Virender Sehwag As Openers In His Test XI

Shashi Tharoor has watched the prodigiously talented Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, whose accomplishments might have been far greater had he not been deprived of an eye in a car crash at the age of twenty and the moody Salim Durani who famously specialised in hitting sixes into precisely that corner of the stands which was chanting for it the loudest apart from the lithe Mohammed Azharuddin, whose debut century against England was followed up by two more in his next two Test matches. Still, they weren’t in his chosen XI.

Shashi Tharoor feels one must pick a side to play the Rest of the World at Lord’s, which means to pick an eleven for English conditions, who are able to cope with grassy pitches and overcast skies, capable of exploiting (and countering) pace, swing, and seam. Although if the match were to be in Eden Gardens instead, or at Chepauk, some changes would be unavoidable.

So, reviewing all the players Shashi Tharoor has seen since 1963, he picked Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag as openers. Ever since his astonishing debut in the West Indies in 1971, Sunil Gavaskar has had no peer as an opening batsman: Correct in technique, immaculate in defence, incisive in strokeplay, extremely difficult to dismiss, the side is unthinkable without him.

To open with him, Virender Sehwag, who was the first Indian to score a Test triple century, then to repeat the feat and to come within 7 runs of doing so a third time, comes to mind. Some fans would make a case for Rohit Sharma, and he should’ve walked into the ODI team — but Virender Sehwag’s Test record is inescapably vastly superior. The other contender might be the doughty Gautam Gambhir, a left-handed version of Sunil Gavaskar, but without the world-beating figures to match either Sunil Gavaskar or Virender Sehwag.

Shashi Tharoor Feels MS Dhoni Must Lead The Indian XI

At number three, there really is no debate: as Rahul Dravid is the only one to think of, steely, unflappable, determined, ‘The Wall’ the enemy had to breach before conquering the Indian fort. Cheteshwar Pujara is a worthy successor to his slot, but cannot displace the original.

Partnering Rahul Dravid, at four, one has Sachin Tendulkar, perhaps the greatest-ever Indian batsman in terms both of talent and its fulfilment. Blooded — and bloodied — at sixteen on a tough tour of Pakistan, Sachin Tendulkar had a long and distinguished career, played more Test matches than anyone else, and broke every record available to him in the process.

Virat Kohli comes in next, pushed a slot lower than he might like by his senior, Sachin Tendulkar. Unlike the first four in this team, he is still an active player, and he might yet eclipse the unchallengeable Sachin Tendulkar, but his credentials as an Immortal are already beyond question, as is his ability to face whatever an opponent might throw at him, and his fierce will to win.

Shashi Tharoor feels there is no need for a sixth specialist batsman, so the claims of VVS Laxman, Mohammed Azharuddin, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sourav Ganguly, Mohinder Amarnath, Rohit Sharma, and Ajinkya Rahane, all major contributors to Indian totals around the world over the years, are kept aside.

Any of them would be ready to come on as a ‘concussion substitute’, but this team needs all-rounders at six and seven rather than another specialist batsman. Mohinder Amarnath’s medium-paced inswingers could be useful in English conditions, but a specialist bowler would do that job better.

Instead, at six, a wicketkeeper who usually batted a notch lower, ‘Captain Cool’ himself, MS Dhoni comes next. A superb ‘keeper’ (Wriddhiman Saha comes close purely in wicketkeeping skills), MS Dhoni was also a superb batsman, with a Test double century to his name, and a cool, calculating cricketing brain to go with it. Next to him, at number 7, the unrivalled all-around talents of Kapil Dev, prodigious hitter, and swinger of the ball at pace, who would bring a zest to the line-up that would infuse energy and zip into the side.

Four more bowlers are now required, of whom, at Lord’s, only one need be a spinner. Anil Kumble, with his 619 Test wickets, won through grit as well as a craft is the only leg spinner. Anil Kumble- India’s highest wicket-taker, took 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan, bowled against the West Indies with a broken jaw and captained the Test side with rare courage is an automatic choice.

Zaheer Khan, with his left-arm pace, swing, and guile; the whippy Javagal Srinath; and the still-unplayable Jasprit Bumrah are the 3 pacers. In Indian conditions, Javagal Srinath would have to make way for the spinning wiles of Bishen Bedi or Ravichandran Ashwin, but at Lord’s, they might have to carry the drinks.

Still, if the weather forecast is good, one of them could still come into the side to give India two spinners to go with three pacemen; but otherwise, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar have both taken Test wickets with their occasional spin, and could relieve Anil Kumble whenever needed.

Finally, on the captaincy front, Shashi Tharoor feels MS Dhoni, who for a generation of Indian cricket fans has epitomised the confidence and calm of captaincy, should lead as poised behind the stumps, surveying all around him with the gimlet eye of the general, as he has proven that he can marshal his troops, react to circumstances around him, and lead the charge when needed.

Indian Immortals XI of Shashi Tharoor’s Time: Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (captain & wk), Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath (weather permitting), Jasprit Bumrah.

“Reserves: Md. Azharuddin, VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Bishan Singh Bedi (one of the last two to swap with Javagal Srinath depending on pitch and climate conditions). The twelfth man just for his brilliantly agile substitute fielding: Ravindra Jadeja.

Shashi Tharoor, who has picked so many 21st century players, doesn’t surprise since out of India’s 162 wins since it obtained Test status as a cricketing nation in 1932, 101 have come since 2000. Out of 220 Tests India has played since 2000, it has won an impressive 45.9 per cent — against an overall success rate of just 29.45 per cent from the total of 550 Tests.