Romesh Kaluwitharana
The dimunative 'Kalu' burst onto the international scene with an explosive 132* against Australia. It was a sign of things to come, as Kaluwitharana joined with Jayasuriya to revolutionize ODI batting and set the trend for the next generation of batsman in international cricket. His performances in Test match cricket too were critical to Sri Lanka's success, his robust batting in the lower middle order and neat keeping made him an integral part of the Sri Lankan side. Although his batting average is on the lower side, his wicket keeping ability and the aggression he brought to my lower order made him an easy pick as wicketkeeper.
1. Vijay Merchant
2. Vinoo Mankad
3. Shoaib Malik
4. GR Viswanath
5. Aravinda De Silva
6. Asif Iqbal
7. Kapil Dev
8. Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk)
9. Wasim Akram
10. BS Bedi
11. Iqbal Qasim
Kaluwitharana's pick completes my All-Time Subcontinent team. I have the best opening combination with Vijay Merchant, India's Bradman, partnering the prolific Vinoo Mankad, who averaged over 57 opening the innings. At number three, I have the versatile Shoaib Malik who can bat anywhere in the XI, can steal quick runs, unfurl attacking strokes and can set the tempo for the team. He is personally my favorite Pakistani batsman.
Gundappa Viswanath pads up at four, one of India's greatest middle order batsmen. He was one of the few at his time comfortable against sheer pace, as he faced the fearsome fast bowlers of the West Indies with ease and grace. He was also equally adept against the spinners, using twinkling footwork and lumberjack wrists to dispatch one and all to the fence. De Silva was the first great Sri Lankan batsman, as he led the Lankans from weak minnows to a world force in International cricket with his fantastic batting performances. Asif Iqbal was one of the premier allrounders of international cricket, certainly the sub continent, with his brisk off swingers opening the bowling or his wristy batting. He averaged nearly 40 with the willow and just 28 with the ball, making him a fantastic addition to both the batting and bowling departments of my side.
With the ball, I have an amazing new ball partnership in Kapil Dev and Wasim Akram. Kapil was India's greatest fast bowler ever, and the second highest wicket taker. His pace, aggression, swing, and sheer ability made him one of the most potent bowlers of his era. His batting was amazing as well; a big hitter of the ball, Kapil had the ability to clear the ropes by a long distance. His performances with the bat helped India clinch many victories and save many tests, as
Paaji's batting made him the second greatest all rounder from Asia.
Akram needs no introduction. The most feared left arm fast bowler ever, a magician who could make the ball do things never done before, the first bowler to master the art of reverse swing. He had a blistering, toecrushing yorker that left many batsman clueless as they walked back to the pavillion. He could get it to swing like a bannana in from way outside off, hitting the beaten batsman on the pads before he roared in appeal, the umpire rarely disagreeing as the finger was raised. Batsman world over had nightmares of the mysterious figure in lime green, pit-pattering his way to the stumps before a quick arm action released the ball, swinging in at unseen speeds to take out the middle stump.
His batting was handy, as he even managed a huge score of 257* and averaged about 23 in test match cricket.
Bishan Bedi was a classical left arm spinner, with a perfect action and wicket taking ability. His deceptions in flight, speed, and deviation off the pitch made him a stealthy, ninja-like bowler that batsmen world over were bamboozled by. He is partnered by Iqbal Qasim, another left arm spinner, who had awesome accuracy, amazingly economical, and took many wickets as a bowler for Pakistan. They are backed by the amazing all rounder that is Vinoo Mankad and his off spin. He bowled a fantastic orthodox offbreak but also mixed up his natural leg spinners and the quicker one to take many wickets in international cricket. He had over 780 FC wickets, averaging just 24, and was at a point in his career undoubtedly the greatest spinner in the world.
I am very happy with my team. It has it all - an AMAZING opening combination, a solid middle order, an explosive lower order, a bowling attack of dreams with a fast quick and a mysterious left armer, and a potent spin trio that completes any sub continent XI. It thrives on versatality, with over 6 front line bowling options (as well as handy part time bowlers) and amazing depth in batting.
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