Daniel Vettori chooses his team of elites

Former New Zealand captain and Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach, Daniel Vettori chose to follow countrymen James Franklin and Brendon McCullum as he picked his all-time XI. You can expect a lot of big names in the XI from all around the globe but there was one thing which came as a bit of a surprise. The left-arm orthodox spinner decided to go with only a solitary player from his country, New Zealand.

Out of the many who have stepped onto the field in Kiwi colours, Vettori preferred to go with Sir Richard Hadlee who boasts of one of the most glorious careers not only among the Black Caps but the whole world. The 38-year-old elected current Indian skipper Virat Kohli as the man who will lead his elite XI despite the presence of several other former captains in the team.

Kohli might not be an experienced captain as the others present in the team but his aggressive nature of leading the team has drawn praises from cricketing greats all around the world. He has shared the dressing room as teammates with Vettori while the aged cricketer represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the early years of the IPL.

“Some modern guys come in at three and four. Virat Kohli of cinnamon front, up close for a long time and nothing but impressed by the way he plays in the passion that he has for winning. I think I would provide the whole team. I meant that anyway, but it would be nice to have him in charge,” said Vettori in support of his choice.

The team consists of a rock solid middle order which can be a nightmare for the fiercest of bowling sides in the world. Players of the highest standard, namely Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, and Kumar Sangakkara have been included in the squad to give it the most formidable look. Mr. 360 and arguably the best batsman of the present generation AB de Villiers also makes it into the squad.

One of the greatest wicket-keepers of all time, Adam Gilchrist paired is up with the South African captain, the team also possesses a fair amount of explosive abilities that is required in a certain squad. But the players picked in the squad were not selected according to a planned batting order insisted Vettori.

“I have picked the top six in no particular order, because they can bat anywhere.” the 38-year-old added.

He went on to flatter Ponting and Dravid labelling the Aussie captain as the most destructive while Dravid was regarded as the toughest batsman ever.

“Ponting was one of the most destructive guys I have seen playing in any conditions. He was amazing. Dravid was the hardest batsman I have ever bowled to. His ability to pick up length was amazing.”

The bowling department looks equally destructive as the batting combination, with Glenn McGrath and Sir Richard Hadlee leading the attack. Hadlee’s ability to swing the ball remains unmatched in world cricket and gives the team a perfect balance along with ‘The Pigeon’ in the squad.

Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne are two of the greatest and most successful spin bowlers of all time without a shade of doubt. Quite obviously both the spin wizards are included in Vettori’s team of elev, n to sum up a team of wonders. He was quoted saying, “Obviously got two spinners in the team. Warne and Muralitharan, the two greatest of all time, so to see those guys in tandem would be amazing,”

Last but not the least, Vettori went with Jacques Kallis as his 12th man, who is no less than the batsmen present in the starting line up.

Daniel Vettori’s all time XI:

Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Glenn McGrath, Richard Hadlee, Jacques Kallis (12th man)