The fiercest of cricketing rivalries takes center stage again on Sunday as India take on Pakistan in the Champions Trophy in what promises to be a titanic clash. The game is essentially a must win for Pakistan who lost to New Zealand in the tournament opener, whilst India beat Bangladesh. So with anticipation for the big game sky-high, an all-time combined XI of the two nations will be a hotly debated subject. Especially considering the amount of legendary players the two have produced. Some really tough choices had to be made but here's our XI, judged across all formats. India Pakistan All-Time Combined XI 1. Sunil Gavaskar The first player to cross the 10,000 run-mark in tests, Sunil Gavaskar simply could not be left out of this team due to his stature as one of the sport's greatest ever openers and technically sound batters. 2. Sachin Tendulkar The first name on the team sheet, the greatest batsman post-Bradman has his fair share of iconic moments against Pakistan including when as a 16 year old he faced up against a fearsome pace attack.
3. Virat Kohli A mountain of runs and on the top of dozens of statistical records, despite that it would be a shame to reduce the genius of Virat Kohli to just the numbers and ignore his aesthetic magnificence. 4. Inzamam ul-Haq Disdained yet begrudgingly admired by the Indian fans who grew up watching him, 'Inzy bhai' is Pakistan's greatest batsman ever and one of the biggest characters cricket has produced.
5. MS Dhoni 'Captain Cool' was an easy choice to don the gloves in this legendary XI. MS Dhoni possessed an ingenious cricketing mind which took the game to another level, as did his unmatched aura. 6. Kapil Dev India's world cup winning pioneer, Kapil Dev may have been the most important player in the nation's cricketing history. Guiding his team to the big trophy as rank outsiders, he inspired an unwavering love for cricket across the nation. 7. Imran Khan A man that oozed style in his playing days, Imran Khan could have made a career as an elite bowler or batter. The fact that he did both at the highest level shows his unparalleled level of talent. 8. Wasim Akram 414 test wickets and 502 ODI wickets doesn't even begin to sum up the legacy left behind by the 'Sultan of Swing'. Anyone who ever bowled left-arm pace, will have tried to replicate that iconic action. 9. Waqar Younis A bowler that inspired fear like no other, Wagar Younis took wickets at a staggering rate and mastered the skill of reverse swing which combined with his pace made him a nightmare for batters to face. 10. Jasprit Bumrah A modern master with no comparison to his peers, it now remains to be seen if Jasprit Bumrah will end his career as the greatest bowler ever. The man to call for the biggest moments, his numbers in a batting era are beyond belief.
11. Saqlain Mushtaq A man who revolutionised spin bowling by creating the doosra, picking this team's lone spinner was the toughest call. But Saqlain Mushtaq and the most skillful fingers in cricket just couldn't be left out. Reserves:
Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Younis Khan, Anil Kumble, Javed Miandad, Rahul Dravid, Shoaib AkhtarOriginal Article