Best Indian ODI XI post 2003

Best Indian ODI XI post 2003: Test cricket has always been regarded as the purest form of cricket and the T20 format has become the newest brainchild of cricket. But between these two formats, there is the One Day Internationals which has its own special place for the cricket fans. While Test cricket is all about temperament, T20 is about the aggression and innovation; ODI cricket is certainly a blend of the two and we have the best of both worlds when it comes to ODI cricket.

For the Indian fans, the World Cup 2003 final was certainly a big heartbreak. A billion hopes crashed by about 125 runs. Indian cricket has come a long way since then and has definitely improved. The improvement has been such that India went on to win the World Cup 2011 and is currently placed at number 2 in the ODI rankings. The journey has not been easy and there have been great performers taking the team ahead.

Here is one such consolidated list of who we think deserve to be in the list of Best Indian ODI XI post 2003:

1. Virender Sehwag:

The aggressive batsman from Najafgarh who made his debut way back in 1999 against Pakistan, Virender Sehwag, struck gold four years after making his debut. Ever since he struck his triple ton in Test cricket, his stature as an opener grew manifold. Sehwag’s scoring rate was extremely quick, at 103.44 runs per 100 balls (which is exceeded only by one current player: Shahid Afridi). The Delhi dasher had his liking for the run chases. 7 of his 13 centuries came while chasing. Despite the rotation policy, Sehwag proved his mettle time and again. He was the first-century maker in the World Cup 2011 which India went on to win. He not just smacked the first ball of every game that he played for a boundary in that tournament; he also scored the highest score in the tournament (175 v Bangladesh). On 8 December 2011, Sehwag scored his highest ODI score against West Indies at Indore slamming 219 runs off only 149 Balls. In the same innings, he also crossed 8,000 runs in ODI Cricket. Just this month he announced his international retirement.

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