MS Dhoni Returns As Captain In Anaya Bangar's All-Format India XI

Anaya Bangar, daughter of former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar, has put together her own all-format playing XI for India, featuring a mix of male and female cricketers. She named Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma as the opening pair, with both batters having impressed with their aggressive approach against New Zealand in the third T20I.

The interesting part of the selection was that she had to include both men and women in a team spanning Test, ODI and T20 cricket.

Anaya picked eight male cricketers and three female players for her hypothetical XI. During the interaction, the interviewer even suggested that Anaya include herself as a spin-bowling option. She accepted the suggestion and named herself in the final team.

Anaya Bangar's all-format playing XI

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (captain), Jhulan Goswami, Anaya Bangar, Jasprit Bumrah and Kapil Dev.

Vaibhav, Abhishek and Sachin in top order

Anaya chose Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma to open the innings, backing their attacking batting styles. The figures cited for their T20I strike rates were 185.63 for Vaibhav and 196.83 for Abhishek. For the number three position, she went with legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar, who finished his international career with 34,357 runs across formats.

Virat at No. 4, Dhoni named captain

Virat Kohli was selected at number four, despite often occupying the No. 3 position in limited-overs cricket. Anaya also included former India women's captain Harmanpreet Kaur in her lineup.

She handed the captaincy to MS Dhoni, whose leadership record made him a notable choice for the role. Hardik Pandya was selected as the team's all-rounder, offering both batting depth and an additional bowling option.

Bumrah, Jhulan and Kapil complete lineup

Anaya's bowling selections included India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and former women's team fast bowler Jhulan Goswami. She also added herself to the bowling unit, recalling her left-arm spin-bowling background from her playing days.

For the final spot, the interviewer proposed former India captain and legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. Anaya agreed, completing her unusual combination of players from men's and women's cricket.