Former India Pacer Venkatesh Prasad Reveals His All-Time Indian ODI XI, Leaves Out Rohit Sharma
Team India played its 1000th ODI on Sunday against West Indies. It became the first country in the history of the game to achieve the feat. Hence, marking the occasion, there were plenty of opinions about the all-time Indian ODI XI. Venkatesh Prasad, who himself has been a part of some fine ODI victories for Team India, also put out his XI. We take a look at it in this article.
Venkatesh Prasad's all-time Indian ODI XI
The former India pacer went with straightforward selections to the XI. He selected Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar as his openers. At No.3, Venkatesh Prasad placed Virat Kohli. The No.4 role, which currently India is struggling with, was occupied by former India skipper Mohammed Azharuddin. At No.5, the former India bowling coach included the name of Yuvraj Singh, who was the Player of the Series in the 2011 World Cup.
The Karnataka cricketer did not name any captain but included both the World Cup-winning skippers. At No.6 and No.7, it was MS Dhoni and Kapil Dev who took a spot in the XI. While Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh were selected in the spin department, Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath were picked in the pace unit.
As Indian Team is gearing up to play their #1000thODI , this is my all time India ODI playing X1 .
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) February 6, 2022
Sehwag
Tendulkar
Kohli
Azharuddin
Yuvraj
Dhoni
Kapil Dev
Kumble
Harbhajan
Javagal Srinath
Zaheer Khan
No place for Rohit Sharma in the XI
One of the major absentees in the XI was the current Indian captain Rohit Sharma. A top ODI opener, Rohit has been serving well for Team India for quite a few years now. However, it might have been a difficult decision for Venkatesh Prasad. Sachin Tendulkar is an undroppable name, and Sehwag has also enjoyed a fine stint at the top for India. Hence, leaving out Rohit Sharma was unavoidable.
A few users also commented that the likes of Ajit Agarkar would have also been a fine inclusion in the XI. Suresh Raina was another name that was prompted by many.