You are asked to pick 3 seamers for your all-time India test team

[deathmonger]

Bumrah

Kapil for all round ability

 

Next is obviously a Zaheer/Shami thing.

 

I would go with Zaheer because of left arm angle and I believe he had a better peak in that 07-11 period as a lead pacer. Shami bowled with a better attack as the no 2. Zaheer was 2nd best pacer after Steyn in that 07-11 period and would have better stats with a better supporting cast plus friendlier pitches.

 

Anyways my India bowling attack would be

 

In Asia

 

Dev

Jadeja

Ashwin

Kumble

Bumrah

 

Outside Asia

 

Dev

Jadeja

Shami

Zaheer

Bumrah

[Suhaan]

17 hours ago, deathmonger said:

Bumrah

Kapil for all round ability

 

Next is obviously a Zaheer/Shami thing.

 

I would go with Zaheer because of left arm angle and I believe he had a better peak in that 07-11 period as a lead pacer. Shami bowled with a better attack as the no 2. Zaheer was 2nd best pacer after Steyn in that 07-11 period and would have better stats with a better supporting cast plus friendlier pitches.

 

Anyways my India bowling attack would be

 

In Asia

 

Dev

Jadeja

Ashwin

Kumble

Bumrah

 

Outside Asia

 

Dev

Jadeja

Shami

Zaheer

Bumrah

Shami is white ball ATG 

Shamis red ball exploits were limited to select places although he has better average than Zaheer but Zaheer was obviously shouldering a weak attack

Edited April 7 by Suhaan

[express bowling]

Outside Asia Tests and greentops ....

 

7. Kapil

8. Jadeja 

9. Srinath 

10. Shami 

11. Bumrah 

 

 

In Asia tests ....

 

7.  Jadeja

8.  Ashwin

9.  Kumble / Chandra 

10. Shami

11. Bumrah 

 

Edited April 7 by express bowling

[BacktoCricaddict]

This thread lost its way ;-).

 

The question was - 1 test. Everything at stake. Venue-agnostic. Weather-agnostic. Continent-agnostic. Ballbrand agnostic.

 

Conditions: Absolutely perfect. Fast. Good, but even bounce. Swing on Day 1 morning. A bit of swing on other days. Good seam movement. Something in it for everyone - good batsmen who play with discipline, for good seamers and good spinners. 

 

Pick 3 seamers. 

Edited April 7 by BacktoCricaddict

[New guy]

Travesty that no one is picking the highest wicket taker in IPL 

[express bowling]

29 minutes ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

This thread lost its way ;-).

 

The question was - 1 test. Everything at stake. Venue-agnostic. Weather-agnostic. Continent-agnostic. Ballbrand agnostic.

 

Conditions: Absolutely perfect. Fast. Good, but even bounce. Swing on Day 1 morning. A bit of swing on other days. Good seam movement. Something in it for everyone - good batsmen who play with discipline, for good seamers and good spinners. 

 

Pick 3 seamers. 

 

 

India plays 4 pacers in such conditions. One being a bowling all-rounder at 8.

 

8. Kapil

9. Srinath

10. Shami

11. Bumrah 

 

 

[diga]

21 minutes ago, New guy said:

Travesty that no one is picking the highest wicket taker in IPL 

Travesty that you didn't read the thread title... It's for tests 

[New guy]

1 hour ago, diga said:

Travesty that you didn't read the thread title... It's for tests 

Bhuvi averages 26 in tests,  the second best average for an Indian test fast bowler (minimum 20 matches)

 

Edited April 7 by New guy

[diga]

31 minutes ago, New guy said:

Bhuvi averages 26 in tests,  the second best average for an Indian test fast bowler (minimum 20 matches)

 

Fast is an oxymoron ...wonder where @beetle is

[DeepSpace]

1. Madan Lal (aka, Andy Gibbs - runs in like Andy Roberts, bowls like Lance Gibbs)

2. Dodda Ganesh

3. Mohinder Amarnath (king of dibbly dobblies)

[cricspirit]

Bumrah and Shami are my top 2. 

 

In a toss up between Srinath and Zaheer, I will pick Srinath. Tempted to pick the left arm bowling of Zaheer...  But I have seen the entire career of those two guys and rate Srinath higher.. Faster, taller and played a weaker era for Indian fast bowling and general test math quality.  Srinath was also the better bat.

 

Kapil is an All rounder. He plays and probably Captains. 

 

If I have to pick 3 with Kapil as one, then Bumrah, Shami, Kapil.

 

Gavaskar

Sehwag

Dravid

Tendulkar

VVS Laxman

Pant

Jadeja

Kapil

Srinath

Shami

Bumrah

 

 

There is always a choice between Jadeja/Ashwin... Srinath/Zaheer... VVS/Kohli..  but that 11 will be my choice for any conditions. 

 

Edited April 11 by cricspirit

[BacktoCricaddict]

2 hours ago, cricspirit said:

VVS/Kohli.. 

The 4 undisputed names on an all time India XI to play one single match with everything at stake:

 

Gavaskar

VVSL

Pant

Bumrah

 

The rest can be debated. 

[diga]

2 hours ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

The 4 undisputed names on an all time India XI to play one single match with everything at stake:

 

Gavaskar

VVSL

Pant

Bumrah

 

The rest can be debated. 

VVS overtaking SRT, RD & Viru based on that one clutch knock aginst Aussies....

[Vilander]

Bumrah, Shami, Siraj. 

[BacktoCricaddict]

20 hours ago, diga said:

VVS overtaking SRT, RD & Viru based on that one clutch knock aginst Aussies....

 

If it was for a test series or a year-long stint with multiple tests, then we can talk others.

 

But, a single high-pressure test for eternal glory, I am putting my money on the clutch guys. 

[bsriharsha]

On 4/12/2026 at 12:12 AM, cricspirit said:

Bumrah and Shami are my top 2. 

 

In a toss up between Srinath and Zaheer, I will pick Srinath. Tempted to pick the left arm bowling of Zaheer...  But I have seen the entire career of those two guys and rate Srinath higher.. Faster, taller and played a weaker era for Indian fast bowling and general test math quality.  Srinath was also the better bat.

 

Kapil is an All rounder. He plays and probably Captains. 

 

If I have to pick 3 with Kapil as one, then Bumrah, Shami, Kapil.

 

Gavaskar

Sehwag

Dravid

Tendulkar

VVS Laxman

Pant

Jadeja

Kapil

Srinath

Shami

Bumrah

 

 

There is always a choice between Jadeja/Ashwin... Srinath/Zaheer... VVS/Kohli..  but that 11 will be my choice for any conditions. 

 

There's no way Kohli gets in to the all time test xi team of India especially if you look at how his test career ended with a whimper. 

 

As per your team 4 pacers plus Jadeja might be an overkill. Would rather have Ashwin or Kumble as well because you really don't need Jadeja's batting looking at the batting order in front of him. 

 

And also zaheer/srinath or zaheer/shami remains a toss up. 

 

If only we guys hadn't messed Irfan up so much. Had he lived up to his potential and remained injury free , he would have been a genuine allrounder for us. 

[bsriharsha]

Sunny

Sehwag

Dravid

Tendulkar

Laxman

Pant

Kapil

Ashwin(just ahead of Kumble, very marginal)

Zak

Bumrah

Srinath/Shami

 

12th man - Jadeja

 

If it was a subcontinent match requiring one more spinner and reverse is on offer , id look at something a bit different. Umesh in place of Zak and kumble in place of Srinath. Umesh was criminally misused by Dhoni. He was lethal once he got his reverse swing going.