No place for Ashwin, Pujara as former India coach reveals best combined India-Australia playing XI for WTC Final

Former Indian cricket team coach and legendary cricketer Ravi Shastri recently shared his picks for a combined Indian Test XI, selecting players from the two finalists of the ICC World Test Championship, India and Australia. With the WTC final just around the corner, Shastri admitted that the task of building a team from the plethora of world-class talent available on both sides was no easy feat. However, he bravely took on the challenge and came up with a final XI, which surprisingly only included four Indian players.

In a recent episode of the ICC Review, Shastri revealed that he had to carefully weigh his options when it came to selecting a captain for the team. Ultimately, he decided to go with Rohit Sharma over Steve Smith, a decision that may raise a few eyebrows among cricket fans.

“I would give the captaincy to Rohit because he’s much more experienced than Pat,” Shastri said as quoted by ICC.

“He’s been around and he’s captained sides for a long time. If Steve Smith was captain of Australia, then maybe it’s a different story, but since it’s Pat Cummins and Rohit Sharma, Rohit wins it.”

“Plus, you know, as a captain, you’re a certainty in the XI so he opens the batting.”

Rohit’s appointment as the opening batsman and captain put Shastri in a quandary. The competition for the opening spot is fierce, with the likes of Australian duo David Warner and Usman Khawaja, as well as India’s emerging right-handed talent, Shubman Gill, all vying for the position.

During the 2021-23 World Test Championship cycle, only England’s Joe Root scored more runs than Khawaja. Shastri believes that the Australian left-hander deserves to be given the opportunity to open alongside Rohit.

“It’s a tight one between Usman Khawaja and Shubman Gill,” Shastri admitted.

“Shubman is the rising young star and he’s a terrific player, but Usman Khawaja, just by current form and the number of runs he’s got over the last couple of years, I think he gets in there.”

Shastri confidently stated that selecting Marnus Labuschagne, the top-ranked Test batter, along with the seasoned duo of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith for the crucial No.3, No.4, and No.5 positions was a no-brainer.

The emergence of talented young batter Cameron Green has made him one of the hottest prospects in the cricket world. As a result, Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has earned the spot to bat at No.6. His ability to act as a second spinning option has been a key factor in his selection.

“At No.6, I get in Jadeja, because I believe he is one of the best all-rounders in the world,” Shastri added.

Shastri acknowledged that it was a difficult decision to exclude India’s seasoned spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and instead choose Nathan Lyon as the primary spinner in his starting lineup.

Ravi Shastri combined India-Australia Test XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Ravindra Jadeja, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Mohammad Shami

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