Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are the three Indian cricketers to figure in Mike Hussey’s ‘Best Enemies XI’ in Test cricket.
Former Australian batsman Mike Hussey – who was also known as Mr Cricket – was part of a dominant Australian side from 2005 to 2013
Asked to select the Best XI from opponents he played against in Test cricket on ‘The Unplayable Podcast’ on Wednesday, the 44-year-old prolific left-handed batsman of his time named xurrent Team Inmdia skipper Kohli, who is considered to be the best contemporary batsman in all three formats of the game, swashbuckling former opener Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, the man who owns most batting records.
Hussey named Sehwag and former South African captain Graeme Smith as openers, while he named Tendulkar and Kohli to bat at Nos 4 and 5, respectively.
He left out former India captain and Chennai Super Kings teammate MS Dhoni. “I wrestled with this one between Kumar Sangakkara, MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers. But I think the latter two have maxde more impact in the shorter formats, T20 and ODI. Sangakkara had immense impact in Test cricket,” Hussey said, justifying the inclusion of the Sri Lankan as wicketkeeper-batsman.
There are four South Africans, three Indians, two Sri Lankans, one Englishman and one West Indian in Hussey’s team.
Michael Hussey’s ‘Best of Enemies’ XI
Virender Sehwag (India), Graeme Smith (South Africa), Brian Lara (West Indies), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Virat Kohli (India), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Dale Steyn (South Africa), Morne Morkel (South Africa), James Anderson (England), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka).
