Ajinkya Rahane names all-time India Test XI without Kohli and Bumrah
Rahane's XI features players from his career and leaves out Kohli and Bumrah due to positional and selection choices.
Ajinkya Rahane selected an all-time India Test XI drawn only from players he shared a dressing room with during his career. The side includes Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan as openers, Rahul Dravid at number three and Sachin Tendulkar at number four. Rahane placed himself at number five, with MS Dhoni as captain and wicketkeeper.
Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin form the spin attack, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma make up the pace trio. Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were omitted from the XI.
Rahane explained that Tendulkar's placement at number four left no middle-order slot for Kohli. He retired from all cricket in July 2026 after playing 85 Tests and scoring 5,077 runs at an average of 38.46.
CricHubb Take
Rahane's selection criteria, limited to direct teammates, produces a side anchored in the 2010s rather than the current era, highlighting how quickly the composition of India's strongest XI has shifted.