Hahaha Good point. NO one can and should forget Inzi's contribution. Would you rank Sanath there too?
My Test XI on current form.
1. Jaffer
He's a consistent opener. He has a habit of either making big scores or getting out cheaply. Obviously his recent double made him my first choice. I rate him higher than the Pakistani or Sri Lankan counterparts of Hameed, or Vandort.
2. Salman Butt
This was a tough choice for me. Most of the Subcontinental openers haven't been in that good form save Jaffer. I was originally going to go with Karthik, but he's had a bad run of form lately, and the Sri Lankan counterpart for the second opening position, Jayasuriya, has retired. Though Karthik made some good scores in SA and England, on current form I've to go with Butt and his few fighting innings I've seen of late. He usually tends to make these fighting half centuries.
3. Sangakkara.
NO. 1 batsmen in the world. I think his average is something in the 200s. ON CURRENT FORM, I definitely think he may be the best batsmen in the subcontinent and he deserves the three spot more than Rahul Dravid, or Younis Khan. (on current form.)
4. Tendulkar
He's got world class ability, experience, and he's in good nick. A solid No. 4 batsmen.
5. Ganguly/Laxman/Yuvi/Moyo/Jayawardene
All have been in top nick so far. Ganguly and Laxman play the fighting innings with determination, but Ganguly has a little more flair. Yuvi's just played one test match in the last few months, but it was a class act and I feel it deserves a mention. Mo Yo is a class act as well. He went through a Bradmanesque run of form, and if I'm not mistaken averages in the 60s careerwise. Jayawardene is also a fighter, but he's got plenty of class and flair. He's got a good brain too, so he wont unfurl those shots till he's in good position. So Take your pick. I definitely couldn't; the subcontinent has a wealth in middle-order batsmen.
wk6. Dhoni
The choice was between Akmal, Silva, and Dhoni. Out of the three, I feel Dhoni has better keeping skills, and is way better of a finisher. He averages in the 70s this year, and has been known to carry and innings till the end. Plus keeping to Kumble and Bhajji is not the easiest task.
7. Pathan
He's regaining the swing, plus he has decent fighting ability to provide some batting support in case the innings collapses. I may switch him out based on whether or not his bowling remains consistently good, but he's got good pace and if he can maintain the swing, he's a definite spot here.
*8. Kumble
A world class bowler, fighter, and a handy bat. He's been an inspirational captain as well. 'Nuff said.
9. Slinga' Malinga/Fernando/Akhtar
All've got the pace, and I think could be very handy later in the innings. Maybe to reverse the ball. Akhtar would be a very good opening bowler, but I dunno if he can maintain his fitness.
10. Asif
He may be out injured, but there's absolutely no questioning his class and determination. Factor in that he's still relatively young, and you know he's going places.
11. Murli
Class act, world's leading wicket taker. He'll get you your wickets no matter what.
I may've been a little bit more biased towards Indian players. I accept that, but on current form, I definitely think more Indian players deserve a spot. We're a good test team.
I'd rank, test wise, India > Sri Lanka > Pakistan