Overview

• Former England opener Nick Knight on July 19 named his 21st-century combined India-England Test XI, backing Alastair Cook and Virender Sehwag as openers and leaving out Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.
• Later the same day, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara unveiled his version, selecting Virat Kohli, VVS Laxman and four all-rounders while excluding Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.
• Knight’s side balances with three pace bowlers—James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Zaheer Khan—while Pujara’s features spin options Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja alongside pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
• Key differences in their lineups reflect divergent valuations of batting depth, bowling strength and legacy performances since 2000.
• The contrasting picks have fueled discussion across media and fan circles as India pursue a five-match Test series in England.