Published 15:15 IST, June 5th 2020
Sachin Tendulkar excluded from Aaron Finch's India-Australia all-time ODI XI
Sachin Tendulkar, who is regarded as one of the best cricketers of all-time, was snubbed by Aaron Finch as he picked his India-Australia XI.
Advertisement
The coronavirus pandemic has brought all the cricketing activities to a halt. The IPL 2020, which was slated to start on March 29, was postponed indefinitely due to the global crisis. Cricketers are currently quarantined at their homes, which has given them ample time to interact with their fans.
While some cricketers have resorted to social media, others have been busy combining and picking their favourite teams. The latest to join this bandwagon is Australia limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch, who went on to pick a combined India-Australia all-time XI. Picking just 11 players for a combined India-Australia ODI XI is not a mean task and Aaron Finch realised it.
Aaron Finch snubs Sachin Tendulkar from his all-time India-Australia XI
Over the years, India and Australia have produced several legendary cricketers. Aaron Finch was recently asked to pick an India-Australia XI and the Australia skipper made it clear that he struggled with it. While speaking to Sports Tak, Aaron Finch said that Virender Sehwag is his No.1 pick because of how dominant he was.
He added that he would have wanted to go for Rohit Sharma as his record is amazing, but he would pick his countryman Adam Gilchrist to open with Virender Sehwag so he went with the dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman. Aaron Finch snubbed legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar from his team, which comes as a surprise considering his records and his staggering numbers against the Australians.
However, Aaron Finch's next pick was two-time World Cup-winning captain Ricky Ponting. At No. 4 is current India captain Virat Kohli, who is considered one of the best batsman of modern times. Aaron Finch then picked Hardik Pandya at No. 5 and followed by Andrew Symonds. Finch's next pick was MS Dhoni, who occupies the No. 7 position. Aaron Finch could not between pick Adam Gilchrist and MS Dhoni, since the team can only have one wicketkeeper, claiming that it does not matter.
Finch further lauded Dhoni saying the former India captain is a cool head under pressure and added that he takes the team over the line, be it in IPL or international cricket. He further said that if the team is 3 for 10, he comes out and get the runs. If the team is chasing, he finds a way for the team to get there.
In the bowling department, Aaron Finch went with Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath and Jasprit Bumrah. However, he couldn't decide the spinner in his team. Finch was perplexed between Brad Hogg, Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja and added that it was too hard to decide.
Aaron Finch all-time India-Australia XI:
Virender Sehwag, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Andrew Symonds, MS Dhoni, Brett Lee, (Undecided spin bowling option), Glenn McGrath & Jasprit Bumrah.
ALSO READ | Virat Kohli can match Sachin Tendulkar's 100-century mark if he plays for 24 years: Pathan
IMAGE COURTESY: AP
15:15 IST, June 5th 2020