Test XI, by our ratings
Best Indian Test XI
The pool is the 36 Indian players in the Beat My 11 database with at least 50 Tests, across every era, with one all-rounder in the side. The XI has 2 openers, 3 middle-order batters, 1 wicketkeeper, 1 all-rounder, 1 spinner and 3 fast bowlers, picked by our ratings: the highest-rated players at each position, in whichever of the three XI shapes in the game rates best as a team.
All eleven players are from India.
Career Test totals from the Beat My 11 database, as of 22 October 2026.
The XI, in batting order
| # | Player | Position | Nation | Played in | Career Test stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunil Gavaskar | opener | India | Legends, 1970s, 1980s | 125 Tests; 10,122 runs at 51.1, 34 hundreds |
| 2 | Virender Sehwag | opener | India | 2000s, 2010s | 104 Tests; 8,586 runs at 49.3, 23 hundreds |
| 3 | Sachin Tendulkar | middle-order batter | India | Legends, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s | 200 Tests; 15,921 runs at 53.8, 51 hundreds |
| 4 | Rahul Dravid | middle-order batter | India | Legends, 1990s, 2000s | 164 Tests; 13,288 runs at 52.3, 36 hundreds |
| 5 | Virat Kohli | middle-order batter | India | 2010s, 2020s | 123 Tests; 9,230 runs at 46.9, 30 hundreds |
| 6 | Rishabh Pant | wicketkeeper | India | 2020s | 52 Tests; 3,725 runs at 43.8, 8 hundreds; 187 dismissals |
| 7 | Ravichandran Ashwin | all-rounder | India | 2010s, 2020s | 106 Tests; 3,503 runs at 25.8, 6 hundreds; 537 wickets at 23.91, 37 five-wicket hauls |
| 8 | Anil Kumble | spinner | India | Legends, 1990s, 2000s | 132 Tests; 619 wickets at 29.6, 35 five-wicket hauls |
| 9 | Jasprit Bumrah | fast bowler | India | 2020s | 52 Tests; 234 wickets at 19.8, 16 five-wicket hauls |
| 10 | Mohammed Shami | fast bowler | India | 2010s, 2020s | 64 Tests; 229 wickets at 27.7, 6 five-wicket hauls |
| 11 | Javagal Srinath | fast bowler | India | 1990s | 67 Tests; 236 wickets at 30.5, 10 five-wicket hauls |
Next in line
| Player | Position | Nation | Career Test stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gautam Gambhir | opener | India | 58 Tests; 4,154 runs at 42, 9 hundreds |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | middle-order batter | India | 103 Tests; 7,195 runs at 43.6, 19 hundreds |
| MS Dhoni | wicketkeeper | India | 90 Tests; 4,876 runs at 38.1, 6 hundreds; 297 dismissals |
| Ravindra Jadeja | all-rounder | India | 91 Tests; 4,160 runs at 37.8, 6 hundreds; 356 wickets at 25.3, 15 five-wicket hauls |
| B.S. Chandrasekhar | spinner | India | 58 Tests; 242 wickets at 29.75, 16 five-wicket hauls |
| Zaheer Khan | fast bowler | India | 92 Tests; 311 wickets at 33, 11 five-wicket hauls |
What stands out
- Between them the eleven played 1,189 Tests. Sachin Tendulkar has the most (200) and Jasprit Bumrah the fewest (52).
- The best batting average in this XI is Sachin Tendulkar's 53.8, and the best bowling average is Jasprit Bumrah's 19.8.
- The deepest position is spinner, with 5 to choose from for 1 place. The thinnest is fast bowler, with 6 for 3 places.
- Left out: VVS Laxman has the best batting average of anyone left out (46, 134 Tests, middle-order batter), and Bishan Bedi the best bowling average (28.7, 67 Tests, spinner). An average is only part of a rating, which also counts how often a player takes wickets or scores hundreds, and how long he lasted.
- Their Test careers run from 1971 (Sunil Gavaskar's debut year) to the present day.
- 2 of these eleven are also in the all-time XI: Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
How this XI was picked
Pool by position: 7 openers, 11 middle-order batters, 3 wicketkeepers, 4 all-rounders, 5 spinners, 6 fast bowlers.
Our ratings use seven career measures. Openers, middle-order batters and wicketkeepers are rated on batting average, runs per player-match, century rate. Spinners and fast bowlers are rated on bowling average, wickets per bowler-match, five-wicket-haul rate, ten-wicket-match rate. All-rounders are rated on all seven. Every player is ranked against the whole database, and players with short careers are weighted toward the average so a hot streak cannot outrank a long career.
The XI takes the highest-rated players at each position, then uses whichever of the three XI shapes in the game rates best as a team. Ratings are not shown here: draft your own XI to see them.
Think you can pick a better XI? Draft yours across seven eras and see if it beats mine.
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