Cheteshwar Pujara names his all-time teammates XI, leaves out Dhoni and Rahane

Pujara's All-Time Teammates XI: A Calculated Pick That Drops The Big Names

Pujara just dropped his all-time teammates XI, curated from the dressing-room roster he shared across his 13-year Test stint (2010-23). Straight to the point — it's his best available XI, not a sentimental one, and the exclusions are already creating noise.

The lineup:

- Openers: Rahul Dravid & Virender Sehwag

- No. 3: Pujara himself (he said it plainly on Cricinfo — "I'm putting myself at number three")

- Middle order: Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, VVS Laxman

- WK: Rishabh Pant

- Attack: Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami

- 12th man: Ishant Sharma (a second seamer — smart given conditions flexibility)

He flagged he could slot Hardik Pandya in as a fast-bowling AR if the pitch demands it. No spin-depth concern there; he's got Ashwin + Jadeja as a balanced pair.

The elephant in the room: MS Dhoni is OUT. Given his near-two-decade stint and Pujara's own career overlapped heavily with him, this is the biggest talking point. Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane also missed the cut.

My read: It's a data-driven pick, not an emotional one. Pujara went for a top-heavy batting structure with Bumrah + Shami as the strike seamers and Jadeja/Ashwin doing the spin work. Dropping Dhoni is the bold call — but if you're building for balance and current-era match-ups, the logic holds.

Source: Crictracker