India v England - Michael Vaughan picks his combined XI

Former England captain Michael Vaughan recently listed his choice of combined XI of India and England players. England are currently touring India for a 2-month long tour. Amidst such backdrop, Vaughan picked up his 11 players from the current lot of both teams. He mentioned the players in his column for The Telegraph. While a few big names were expected to be in the list, some have made a surprise entry.

None of the Indian openers feature in the list. The opening slot goes to Alastair Cook, the English skipper. Cook is the leading run getter for England in Test cricket. He has had good success on subcontinental soil too. The other opener role goes to Cheteshwar Pujara. With the regular Indian openers struggling to find consistency, Vaughan’s choice was only obvious. Pujara is a handy batsman with solid technique.

The middle-order wasn’t very difficult to predict. Star batsmen from both the sides have made it to Michael Vaughan’s team. England’s young star Joe Root is the man at number 3 while Indian skipper Virat Kohli comes in at number 4. Kohli has hit 2 double centuries in Test cricket this year. Root was technically the most effective batsman for England on their recent tour to Bangladesh. Ajinkya Rahane also gets a place in the middle order. The Mumbai batsman has been a mainstay of India’s middle order.

All-rounder Ben Stokes is the all-rounder in the team. Stokes is not only effective with bat but also equally capable with the ball. Stokes has played 27 Tests till now and has a top score of 258 to his name. Wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow is the other batsman to feature in the lower middle order. Bairstow is the leading run scorer in Test cricket this year. No wonder why he deserves his place in the combined XI of Michael Vaughan.

Also read – Not going to take England for granted: Virat Kohli

The spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin take care of the spin department. With England having very little experience in the spin department, it was an obvious choice to go with the Indian duo. Ravichandran Ashwin bagged 27 wickets in the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand. He is the number one ranked bowler in Tests at the moment. Jadeja has had his share of success too in the recent past.

One pace from each team makes it to the combined XI of Michael Vaughan. England’s leading wicket-taker James Anderson takes the pacer slot along with Mohammad Shami from India. Shami can be deadly with his reverse swing in Indian conditions. The skills and demeanor of Anderson is no hidden factor either.

Combined XI of Michael Vaughan

Alastair Cook, Cheteshwar Pujara, Joe Root, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, James Anderson, Mohammed Shami