The Subcontinent Giants - Best current Asian Test XI

The Subcontinent Giants – Best current Asian Test XI: You talk cricket demographics and there is only one distinction – the guys from Asia and those outside. Lovers of the sport and media professionals cannot help but indulge in creative fantasies of having a united team from Asia which would take the rest of the world head on. Test cricket is the perfect platform to judge potential and caliber. While India is a land of prolific batsmen, Pakistan is famous for the thrilling speedsters. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh symbolize grit and courage. Common sense would reveal that their unification will give any opposition a run for their money. So let us dwell deep into the idea and try to figure out the current best Asian Test eleven – The best current Asian Test XI (in accordance with the batting order): 1. Murali Vijay (India): Murali Vijay. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Grace symbolized is Murali Vijay for you. M Vijay brings, along with his bat, pads and gloves, an invisible switch to the crease. When that switch is flicked on, given certain conditions, he can be one of the more pleasing sights in present-day cricket. Already 6 hundreds to his name in 39 games make him a sound opener. Not afraid to dance down the wicket against the spinners, he is known to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Vijay scored his first Test ton outside India in England at Trent Bridge smashing 146. In the next Test at Lord’s Vijay’s solid 95 proved to be vital in India’s epic win. Although India went on to lose the next three matches on trot, Vijay was the highest run-scorer for India with 402 runs from 5 matches. In the Test series against Australia, Vijay scored 99 in the first Test at Adelaide and followed it up by a brisk 144 in the next at Gabba, which was the highest score by an Indian at the ground. Also read – The Asian Giants- The Asian ODI XI 2. Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka): Dimuth Karunaratne. (Photo Source: AFP) Dimuth Karunaratne is a solid left-hand opening batsman, and another alumnus of the St Joseph’s College side that produced Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera, whom he also played with in the Sri Lanka U-19 side. Karunaratne made his first-class debut for Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in 2008, but had a quiet first season, batting largely in the middle order. Once promoted as an opener at the test level Karunaratne got his act together and started coming to the fore. With more than 1000 runs in his nascent Test career, he has pretty much established his place in the Sri Lankan Test eleven. 3. Ajinkya Rahane (India): Ajinkya Rahane of India celebrates his half century. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) In Ajinkya Rahane the Indian Test team has found a batsman who has this special inclination of delivering at the toughest of times in the most testing situations. He has emerged as one of India’s most consistent run-getters in the longest format and has scored centuries in Australia, England, New Zealand and most recently in West Indies. Rahane like his guru Rahul Dravid is the most reliable batsman in the unit and has the right combination of determination, technique, solidity and class to perform against the best of the bowling attacks in conditions that favor them. 4. Younis Khan (Pakistan): Younis Khan. (Photo Source : Getty Images) One of Pakistan’s modern batting greats, Younis Khan is the kind of man who responds best in adversity. The ever-smiling right-hander from Mardan, Pakistan is by every standards a legend when it comes to test cricket. He recently made three centuries on the trot against the mighty Australians in Abu Dhabi and is the only one to do so. Though he didn’t set the world ablaze with his batting when he initially arrived but, he took giant strides in the years ahead. Younis’ average of 106 is the highest for any Pakistani batsmen against India. In the 7 Tests that he played since August 2014, against Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand, he amassed 928 runs, which included 5 hundreds and 3 came versus Australia. He also has the most tons by a Pakistan batsman in Tests, going past Inzamam’s 25. Above 100 Tests, more than 9000 runs, a triple ton and an average of almost 54, you can’t ask for anything better. 5. Virat Kohli (C) (India): Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Getty Images) A typical modern-day cricketer, Virat Kohli plays his game with aggression, bares his emotions loudly in public, yet retains the element of maturity that forms an integral part of every good and great player. Kohli has a mature head on his rather young shoulders. Known to be quite an aggressive batsman, he has a sound technique, which guides him to judge the length of the ball earlier than most others. He had already made an impact as a batsman and once he took over Test captaincy responsibilities from former skipper MS Dhoni, Virat has taken great control of things and is taking Indian cricket ahead with his aggressive approach. He is a captain who loves to lead his team by example. Kohli’s great show has silenced the critics, who called for his exclusion from the Test team, after the poor show in England. Averaging above 45 in Tests with 12 centuries to his credit Kohli is set to scale far greater heights in the days to come. 6. Angelo Matthews (Sri Lanka): Angelo Mathews. (Photo Source: AFP) Robust batting technique, nagging consistency with the ball, and athleticism on the field, all set off by an imperturbable temperament, have made Angelo Mathews one of Sri Lanka’s most prized assets and a figure on which the team hangs many hopes. He rose quickly since earning wide acclaim with an acrobatic save in the 2009 World Twenty20, and in February 2013, became Sri Lanka’s youngest ever Test captain at 25, after having been groomed for the post for two years. Mathews will always be remembered in Sri Lankan cricket history as the one who saw the team through the transition. He has been working with the objective of building a team for the future. 7. Sarfaraz Ahmad (Pakistan) (wk): Sarfaraz Ahmad. (Photo Source: AFP) Sarfaraz grew in stature as a wicket-keeper batsman in 2014. He surged ahead of Kamran Akmal and Adnan Akmal and is now the preferred keeper for Pakistan across all three formats. The change in fortunes for Sarfaraz started on the Sri Lanka tour, where he scored his maiden Test ton and a couple of fifties. Averaging more than 43 in the 25 Tests he has played with a strike rate of over 73 make him a no brainer for the eleven. An equally good player off the front and back foot, Sarfaraz can change the fate of a game in a short duration with his belligerent batting. The brisk pace he scores at make him a dangerous prospect even if he comes An equally good player off the front and back foot, Sarfaraz can change the fate of a game in a short duration with his belligerent batting. The brisk pace he scores at make him a dangerous prospect even if he comes in to bat when the second new ball is due. 8. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh): Shakib Al Hasan. (Photo Source: AFP) Allrounder Shakib Al Hasan is a vital cog in Bangladesh’s line-up. An average of 40 with the bat and 33 with the ball makes him a genuine all-rounder. He has been a consistent performer for his country, over the years. A talented left-hand batsman and a left-arm spinner is unarguably the best cricketer that Bangladesh has ever had. As a bowler, he is accurate, consistent, and canny; and his aggression and a wide range of strokes are the keys to his batting. Even more importantly, he has self-belief an excellent temperament, unflustered by the big occasion and ready to do battle against the top team. At just 28 years of age he holds the numero uno status in the allrounders category in all three formats and is a walkover entry here. 9. Ravichandran Ashwin (India): Ravichandran Ashwin. (© Getty Images) A clever and astute thinker of the game Ravichandran Ashwin is now the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack. Ashwin was adjudged the Man of the Series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2013 and has now won most Test man of the series awards by an Indian cricketer. He ended the series with an impressive tally of 29 wickets and became the third Indian off-spinner to take 25-plus wickets in a series after Harbhajan Singh (32) & EAS Prasanna (26). In the first Test match of the Tendulkar farewell series against West Indies in November 2013, Ashwin got his second Test ton and also put on a record seventh wicket partnership of 280 runs along with Rohit Sharma. In the second game in Mumbai, he became the fastest Indian to reach 100 Test wickets in just 18 matches. With his improved bowling action and focus on off spin, Ashwin is set to rewrite history. 10. Umesh Yadav (India): Umesh Yadav. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Son of a coal mine worker, aiming to be a policeman, it was destiny that brought Umesh Yadav towards cricket. Although India put up a terrible performance in Australia in 2012, Yadav was one of the few players who stood out in that lackluster series. He picked up 14 wickets in four Tests, bowling better than his senior counterparts and was appreciated for his pace. Though he does not have great numbers to show for his potential and talent, cricketing wisdom suggests he will only get better with more exposure. Umesh is a hard worker and is one of the rare Indian bowlers who loves his pace and is never willing to compromise on that front. With lateral movement and bounce on offer he can make the best batsmen hop on their toes for survival. 11. Wahab Riaz (Pakistan): Wahab Riaz. (Photo Source: AFP) One among the many Pakistani pacers with good pace and a nippy action, Wahab Riaz came into the reckoning in 2008 when he was selected in the ODI squads to play against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. 53 wickets in 18 Tests at an average of just over 34 are not stats to go ballistic but this guy has tremendous control over his pace and testimony to which was the spell he bowled in the world cup quarter final to Shane Watson. Having understood his game he is now a potent weapon and also provides variety to the attack with his left-arm angle. He has a deadly bouncer which can surprise even the best. Also read – A United Cricket Team from ‘Bharat’ – The Undivided India

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The Subcontinent Giants - Best current Asian Test XI

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