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MS Dhoni To Lead Kohli, Rohit As Karthik Crafts India’s Ultimate All-Time T20I XI

Aakash Saini

Rohit Sharma with Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik [Source: @Jyran45, @CricCrazyJohns/x]Rohit Sharma with Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik [Source: @Jyran45, @CricCrazyJohns/x]

Few formats in cricket inspire as much debate as T20Is, where consistency and impact often clash in defining greatness. Across the years, India’s journey in the shortest format has been marked by trailblazing performances and milestones that has shaped its legacy.

In a tribute to that legacy, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has envisioned India’s all-time T20I playing XI, naming some of the greatest match-winners to have ever graced the format for the ‘Men in Blue’.

MS Dhoni To Lead Dinesh Karthik’s Dream India T20I XI

Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik, who bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ award in India’s first-ever T20I match back in December 2006, recently named his all-time Team India XI for 20-overs internationals. At the helm of his star-studded lineup, he placed none other than MS Dhoni as captain.

The 2007 T20 World Cup winner also picked India’s modern-day batting behemoths like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in his XI, alongside active T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and seasoned all-rounders like Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel. Karthik further nominated Varun Chakravarthy as his primary spin option. Naming his all-time India T20I XI while speaking on Cricbuzz, here is a look at Dinesh Karthik’s entire list:

All-Time India T20I XI As Per Dinesh Karthik

Abhishek Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (c), Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Justifying Dinesh Karthik’s selection, his skipper MS Dhoni led the Indian team to a historic T20 World Cup victory in its inaugural edition back in 2007. Rohit Sharma, who was part of the winning team, replicated Dhoni’s captaincy feat in 2024 in the West Indies.

Rohit, along with Virat Kohli announced their respective retirements from T20Is following India’s 2024 World Cup win, bowing out as two of the highest run-aggregators of the format.

Dynamic opener Abhishek Sharma blasted 135 from just 54 balls earlier this year against England to shoot himself to international prominence overnight. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya played significant roles in India’s T20 World Cup win in 2024, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues to remain one of the finest fast bowlers in India’s white-ball history.