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Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane has named his all-time India Test XI, choosing former teammates Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni while leaving out Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The selection, reported by The Times of India and further detailed in a separate published team list, reflects Rahane’s personal choices rather than a definitive ranking of Indian Test cricketers across every era.
The reported XI also excludes fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Rahane’s choices include himself in the middle order, Dhoni as captain and wicketkeeper, and a bowling group featuring Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.
The published lineup opens with Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, followed by Dravid at No. 3 and Tendulkar at No. 4. Rahane chose himself at No. 5, with Dhoni at No. 6 as captain and wicketkeeper. Jadeja and Ashwin provide the spin options, while Bhuvneshwar, Shami and Ishant complete the bowling attack.
The full reported XI is: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (captain and wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. The list has been reported by CricketNmore; the Times of India headline independently confirms the omission of Kohli and Rohit and the inclusion of Dravid, Tendulkar and Dhoni.
Kohli and Rohit are among the best-known figures of India’s modern cricket era, so their absence is likely to become a talking point among fans. Bumrah’s omission adds another contemporary name to the debate. The report does not provide a detailed explanation from Rahane for each selection or omission, so it would be inaccurate to attribute a specific reason to him without further direct evidence.
The framing matters: this was a personal all-time XI built around players Rahane had shared the field with, not a formal selection by a cricket board or a statistical ranking. Such teams inevitably reflect the selector’s experience, roles and memories, and can produce different combinations from lists chosen by former players from other generations.
Dhoni’s inclusion as both wicketkeeper and captain gives the team a designated leader and specialist behind the stumps. Dravid and Tendulkar add two highly experienced top-order batters, while Rahane’s own selection at No. 5 places him in the middle order between Tendulkar and Dhoni.
The bowling mix combines spin and pace. Jadeja and Ashwin are the two spin choices, while Bhuvneshwar, Shami and Ishant offer three different seam-bowling options. The balance of the team is therefore built around six specialist or all-round batting options before the main bowling group, though exact role labels can vary depending on the conditions and match situation.
The Times of India report links Rahane’s choices to players he had played alongside in international or domestic cricket. A separate report says the team was part of Sony Sports Network’s “Ajab Sawaal Ghazab Jawaab” feature. This context helps explain why the exercise should be read as a former player’s personal selection rather than an attempt to settle a universal debate about India’s greatest Test XI.
Rahane’s list gives fans plenty to discuss: the choice of two opening batters, the balance between spin and pace, Dhoni’s leadership role, and the decision to select himself while leaving out several major names from the recent era. No official ranking or match result is attached to the exercise; its significance lies in the conversation it creates about teammates, eras and the qualities a selector values in a Test side.
The selection is an opinion feature rather than a team announcement, so there is no fixture or official playing XI to follow. Readers should treat the complete lineup as the reported list and distinguish it from the narrower details available in the Times of India headline and summary. Any explanation of why individual players were included or omitted should be attributed to Rahane only if a direct statement is available.
