Kane Williamson picks his dream India white-ball XI, leave out Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya

Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has revealed his ideal Indian white-ball XI, which includes both great players and modern-day superstars.

Williamson, speaking with Middlesex Cricket, chose Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma as his openers. Rohit is the highest run-scorer in T20Is, and the fourth-highest in ODI history. Sehwag, on the other side, is known for his reckless approach and explosive starts, which helped India win the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup.

Williamson placed Virat Kohli at No. 3. Kohli is largely regarded as one of the best chasers of the contemporary age, having scored over 18,000 runs in ODIs and T20Is combined, establishing himself as a pillar of consistency for India across all formats. At No. 4, Williamson chose Sachin Tendulkar, the all-time greatest ODI run-scorer with 18,426 runs. Despite appearing in only one T20I, Tendulkar’s influence in the 50-over format is unequaled.

Yuvraj Singh, famous for his match-winning efforts in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, was ranked fifth. Notably, he was selected Player of the Tournament in 2011. At No. 6, Williamson named Suryakumar Yadav, India’s current T20I captain and a 360-degree batter who was instrumental in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory.

Williamson kept MS Dhoni, the wicketkeeper-batsman who led India to three ICC titles – the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, and 2013 Champions Trophy – at number seven. Williamson’s team included Jasprit Bumrah, Zaheer Khan, and Mohammed Shami as speed bowlers, with Anil Kumble, India’s all-time highest ODI wicket-taker with 334 wickets, as the lone spinner.

Kane Williamson’s all-time Indian white-ball XI

Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Suryakumar Yadav, MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Shami