Tension for the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) is starting to build. In what was to be the 16th edition of the T20 competition, some former Indian players came together to compile a list of players they believe fit into the ‘All-time XI’ category. People like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Ab de Villiers, etc. were all present, but when it came to choosing the captain of the team, opinions started to differ. The choice was between the current Indian captain Rohit Sharma and the legendary MS Dhoni, and it became a tricky subject.
People like Pragyan Ojha, Robin Uthappa, Aakash Chopra, Suresh Raina, RP Singh, Parthiv Patel, etc. gathered for a show at Jio Cinema where they voted to elect an all-time XI.
As for the captain, Ojha chose Rohit Sharma over MS Dhoni purely because the skipper of the Mumbai Indians has won more trophies as compared to his Chennai Super Kings counterpart.
“If you try to compare them they are quite similar. They are both bowler captains. I’m just going by titles because in this comparison Sharma has more titles than MSD. When you talk about all-time greats, winning five titles in 15 years is no mean feat,” said Ojha.
As for the picks, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli came in as the two lead-off hitters. When the topic of batting number 3 came in, suggestions from KL Rahul started pouring in, but Uthappa argued that the Karnataka batsman has not stood the ‘ravage of time’.
“When you select these players, the ravages of time are also a factor. KL has a lot of time left and a lot of cricket to play,” said Uthappa.
Hence Suresh Raina entered at number 3. Roht Sharma followed him, none at all. 4, AB de Villiers and No. 5 and MS Dhoni at No. 6.
As for the remaining places, the names of Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal emerged. Jasprit Bumrah and Sri Lanka legend Lasith Malinga completed the XI.
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