File photo of Ravichandran Ashwin© BCCI/Sportzpics
Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his all-time XI, with a total of 7 Indians making the cut. There were some notable omissions too, with superstars like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Gautam Gambhir, etc. being snubbed. In Ashwin's XI, as many as four Mumbai Indians players were picked while those who represented Chennai Super Kings, his former franchise, were just two. When it comes to the captaincy pick, Ashwin picked MS Dhoni over Rohit Sharma, despite the fact that the latter has won more IPL titles, especially as a captain.
At the absolute top, Ashwin picked the pair of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as the opening pair, with Mr. IPL Suresh Raina coming in at the No. 3 spot. Rohit and Virat have been opening for their respective franchises for a long time in the IPL and even played alongside each other in T20Is for India at times.
At No. 4, Ashwin picked Mumbai Indians' Mr. 360 Suryakumar Yadav, who was followed by the original Mr. 360 in the line-up. No surprises for the wicket-keeper spot as MS Dhoni earned the nod in Ashwin's team, while also being given the captain's role.
In the spin-bowling department, Ashwin picked the pair of Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan. The two aren't just world-class spinners but are also more than handy as batters.
Ashwin picked a total of 3 pacers in the team, with the legendary Lasith Malinga accompanying the Indian pair of Bhvuneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
Ashwin made the picks during a chat on the YouTube channel of former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth, Cheeky Cheeka.
Ravichandran Ashwin's All-Time IPL XI: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Suryakumar Yadav, Ab de Villiers, MS Dhoni (C/WK), Sunil Narine, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga