'Virat Kohli yes, but not Rohit Sharma' - Ex-England skipper picks combined post-2000 Test XI

India will begin their five-test tour of England on June 20 at Leeds. They will then play at Edgbaston from July 2–6, Lord's from July 10–14, Old Trafford from July 23–27, and The Oval from July 31–August 4. Nasser Hussain and former England captain Michael Atherton selected their 21st-century India-England Test XI ahead of the highly anticipated series.

When former England captain Nasser Hussain revealed his selections, he caused a stir by leaving Indian captain Rohit Sharma off the list. Hussain chose a more aggressive opening pairing with India's Virender Sehwag and England's Alastair Cook, while designating contemporary greats such as Joe Root, Virat Kohli, and Sachin Tendulkar as "non-negotiables" in his combined XI.

"Joe Root, Virat Kohli, and Sachin Tendulkar cannot be compromised... "Listen, I like Rohit Sharma, but I think Virender Sehwag and Alastair Cook in Test match cricket in those 25 years, oh, what a beautiful combination it would be!" he said in an interview with Michael Atherton, another former cricket player.

The number four pick was Sachin Tendulkar. They looked at Rahul Dravid, Joe Root, Kevin Pietersen, and Virat Kohli as potential candidates for the middle order. Virat Kohli and Root were left out after Pietersen was placed at number five and Dravid was selected to bat at number three.

Because of his versatility, Ben Stokes was selected at number six and made captain of the team. Rishabh Pant was chosen to be the batsman and wicketkeeper.

James Anderson and Jasprit Bumrah were declared non-negotiable when they entered the bowling order. Although Zaheer Khan was also initially selected, Stuart Broad took his place since they exceeded the cap permitted for Indian athletes.

Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, and Graeme Swann were among the all-time greats who were passed up for the position of lone spinner after a dispute.

Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain's combined India-England playing XI of the 21st century: Virender Sehwag, Alastair Cook, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Kevin Pietersen, Ben Stokes, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, and Jasprit Bumrah.

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