Retired International XI of the decade

In the last decade, cricket has evolved leaps and bounds. Everyone is talking about this new bunch of cricketers around the world known as ‘the modern-day greats’. But since 2010, many things have changed in international cricket. Several teams are in their transition phases due to the retirement of many greats since 2010. Many stalwarts of their respective international sides have hung their boots and started the new innings – ‘the after retirement life’.

As this decade comes to its conclusion, we have created an all-time eleven of the players who have retired this decade. But the main point to be noted before going ahead with the team is that we have only considered the players who have retired from all formats of international cricket. (They maybe still playing at the domestic level)

So, let us start and find out who are those cricketing legends who make the cut into our Retired XI of the decade:

Virender Sehwag

The Nawab of Najafgarh as they call him, Virender Sehwag is one name when it is taken, many front line bowlers try to find a way to escape. This is the type of terror which he caused to the opposition bowlers when he stepped onto the cricketing field to open for India. Sehwag was a player who used to play T20 cricket in ODIs and ODI cricket in Test matches.

Sehwag was known to open his account while batting with a boundary off the first ball or at least in the opening over. He represented India in 104 Test matches scoring 8,586 runs at an average of 49 whereas in ODIs he managed to score 8,273 runs at an average of 35. He has 38 international hundreds to his name from which 23 came in the longest format and the remaining in ODIs.

The aggressive opener from India was the first Indian to score a triple century in any format of the game. He won two World Cups in his glittering career. He was an integral part of the side when India won the inaugural edition of ICC World T20 in South Africa in 2007. After that, he also won the ODI World Cup in Mumbai in 2011 alongside his idol Sachin Tendulkar.