There will always be great debate about the best Indian XI of all time, butthere is no doubt about who is the best Indian player of all time
CricInfo24-Jan-2002There will always be great debate about the best Indian XI of all time, butthere is no doubt about who is the best Indian player of all time. That honourbelongs to Sachin Tendulkar, according to a poll conducted on CricInfo.comin association with BT Talk and Surf Together.The survey asked Indian fans to select their All Time Indian XI.The little master Sachin Tendulkar was the phenomenon of the survey, with99% of voters choosing him in one of the middle order batting positions. Hewas eventually chosen to appear at number three slot.The rest of the batting, all drawn from the 1970s onwards, nevertheless hasa vintage look to it. The opening partnership reunites Sunil Gavaskar andKrish Srikkanth. Dilip Vengsarkar joins current heroes Sachin Tendulkar andRahul Dravid in the middle order.The bowling, too, is formidable, reflecting India’s traditional strengthin the spin department. Current leggie Anil Kumble is joined by undoubtedgreat Bishan Bedi and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar to form a formidable spin trio. The seam department can safely rely on all-rounder Kapil Dev, overwhelmingly popularwith users, to operate in combination with Javagal Srinath.It is often said that the strength of a team is illustrated by those thatare left out. Such greats as Vijay Merchant, Ravi Shastri, ErapalliPrassana, and Gundappa Viswanath do not make the final eleven. Honourablemention must also go to ‘keeper Farokh Engineer, who carries the drinks forhis younger counterparts. The wicket-keeping position goes to Syed Kirmaniwho would take his place in the order at number seven to give a little extradepth to the batting.The full CricInfo/BT Indian XI is:1. Sunil Gavaskar
2. Krish Srikkanth
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Dilip Vengsarkar
5. Rahul Dravid
6. Kapil Dev
7. Syed Kirmani
8. Bishan Bedi
9. Anil Kumble
10. Javagal Srinath
11. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar
12th man: Farokh EngineerThe voting continues with a new poll for the All Time Asian XI atwww.btasian11.cricinfo.com