Virat Kohli snubbed as India-England greatest Test XI announced by Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid

Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have announced their combined all-time India-England Test XI after the thrilling five-match Test series between the two nations that ended in a 2-2 draw last week.

Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid revealed their picks on the Beard Before Wicket YouTube channel, where they debated over several names before settling on a star-studded all-time India-England Test XI.

Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid name star-studded all-time India-England Test XI

Moeen and Rashid opted for a cross-country partnership for the opening slots, and they are India’s Virender Sehwag and England’s Marcus Trescothick. Sehwag, known for his fearless strokeplay, remains the only Indian batter to score two triple centuries.

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The former Indian opener has 8,586 runs at an average of 49.34 in the traditional format of the game. Marcus Trescothick, who was one of England’s batters in the early 2000s, finished his Test career with 5,825 runs at 43.79, including 14 centuries.

Moeen and Adil’s middle order features England’s modern and past legends Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen, and India’s all-time batting great Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar is still the leading Test run scorer with 15,921 runs and 51 centuries to his name.

Joe Root, Kevin Pietersen, and Sachin Tendulkar named in the middle-order

On the other hand, Joe Root continues to climb the batting chart with 13,543 runs and 39 centuries to his name in Test cricket. Kevin Pietersen, who was known for his flamboyant strokeplay, was picked by the English duo for his match-winning impact against top teams.

Moeen and Adil handed the wicketkeeping duties to the former Indian captain and one of the all-time greats behind the stumps, MS Dhoni. Dhoni’s electric and smart wicketkeeping and 4,876 runs in Tests make him one of the greats and the first choice for them.

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Meanwhile, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid’s combined all-time India-England Test XI has only one all-rounder in English legend Ian Botham, who was a true match-winner with both bat and ball. Botham has over 5,000 runs and 383 wickets to his name in the traditional format of the game.

James Anderson to lead pace attack for Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid

For the spin department, Moeen and Rashid showed equal respect to both nations, picking India’s spin legend Anil Kumble and England’s spin great Graeme Swann. Kumble remains India’s most prolific Test bowler with 619 wickets and 35 five-wicket hauls, while Swann’s role in England’s historic Test series wins in Australia (2010/11) and India (2012/13) earned him a place.

Moeen and Rashid’s pace attack features two of the finest in their craft, and they are none other than James Anderson, England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker, and India’s former pace legend Zaheer Khan.

Anderson retired last year with 704 wickets, the third-most in Test history, while Zaheer, who has 311 scalps to his name, was one of the most feared left-arm pacers of his era.

Their combined all-time India-England Test XI is packed with legends from both countries, but they agreed that Sachin Tendulkar would be the very first name on the team sheet.

Here’s Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid's combined all-time IND-ENG Test XI:

Virender Sehwag, Marcus Trescothick, Joe Root, Sachin Tendulkar, Kevin Pietersen, MS Dhoni, Ian Botham, Anil Kumble, Graeme Swann, Zaheer Khan, and James Anderson.