Cheteshwar Pujara Names His All-Time India Test XI, Excludes Himself
Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara picked his all-time India Test XI, surprisingly leaving himself out. He chose Rahul Dravid at No. 3, ahead of his spot. The XI includes legends like Sachin Tendulkar (100 Tests, 13,288 runs), Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and only one pacer — Jasprit Bumrah. Pujara favoured Dhoni over Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper.
Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara surprised fans by naming his all-time India Test XI, excluding himself, despite having scored 7195 runs in 103 Tests with 19 centuries. Speaking on the Sports Tak podcast, Pujara selected Rahul Dravid at No. 3, calling him a superior batter. He opened with Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag, praising their contrasting yet effective styles.
Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli were slotted at No. 4 and 5, respectively, followed by VVS Laxman at No. 6. Pujara picked MS Dhoni as his wicketkeeper, while acknowledging Rishabh Pant’s potential to take that spot in the future. Kapil Dev was picked as the all-rounder, with Anil Kumble and Ravichandran Ashwin forming the spin duo. Interestingly, Jasprit Bumrah was the only specialist fast bowler in the lineup.
Cheteshwar Pujara has picked India's all-time Test XI, where he excluded himself at No.3 to include the legendary batter Rahul Dravid 🏏⚪️🇮🇳#CheteshwarPujara #IndianCricketTeam #TestCricket #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/N4dG5Ku4Wh
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) May 23, 2025
Pujara explained his selections were based not only on performance but also on the era and impact of each player. Notably, stalwarts like Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant were left out, showing Pujara’s preference for proven long-term consistency.
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