Rahane snubs Kohli, Bumrah from his all-time Indian Test XI, picks himself

Ajinkya Rahane picked his all-time India Test XI. The former captain left out Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah from the line-up raising several eyebrows among fans.Ajinkya Rahane snubs Virat Kohli from his all-time Test XI. (Image: Reuters)New Delhi,Oct 25, 2026 09:40 ISTFormer India batter Ajinkya Rahane has left out Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah from his all-time Indian Test XI. Rahane, who retired from all forms of cricket in July 2026, picked Sachin Tendulkar over Kohli at No. 4 and opted for a pace attack featuring Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, leaving out Bumrah.Rahane made his selections during an interaction with Sony Sports Network, where he was asked to name his all-time India Test XI from players he had played alongside in international or domestic cricket. His choices also excluded Rohit Sharma, with Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan named as his preferred opening pair.The former India vice-captain picked Rahul Dravid at No. 3 before selecting Tendulkar at No. 4. Rahane placed himself at No. 5, followed by former India captain MS Dhoni at No. 6, with Dhoni also named captain and wicketkeeper of the side.Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin completed the spin-bowling and all-round options, while Bhuvneshwar, Shami and Ishant made up the pace attack. RAHANE PICKS HIMSELF, DHONI AS CAPTAINRahane's decision to include himself in the XI came alongside a selection of several former teammates from India's successful Test sides. He slotted himself into the middle order, ahead of Dhoni, who led the team as captain and wicketkeeper.Dhoni's inclusion was notable for Rahane's personal connection with the former India skipper. Dhoni was Rahane's first captain in international cricket, and the former batter chose him to lead his all-time side. At the top of the order, Rahane went with Vijay and Dhawan, two players with whom he shared the dressing room during his India career. Dravid and Tendulkar, meanwhile, occupied the next two batting positions.The omission of Kohli and Rohit stood out given their importance to India's Test team over the past decade. Kohli was not selected at No. 4, with Rahane preferring Tendulkar for the position, while Rohit did not make the cut as an opener.BUMRAH MISSING FROM PACE ATTACKRahane's pace selections also raised eyebrows, with Bumrah left out in favour of Bhuvneshwar, Shami and Ishant.The three selected fast bowlers were part of the Indian team that helped establish a formidable pace attack during the late 2010s. Their performances played a significant role in India's success in overseas Test cricket, particularly during a period when the team began winning more consistently away from home.Bumrah, meanwhile, has emerged as one of India's leading fast bowlers across formats and has been a key figure in the Test side in recent years. However, Rahane's selection was limited to players he had played with in international or domestic cricket, providing important context to the choices in his XI.Ashwin and Jadeja were selected to provide spin and all-round options, rounding out a team that featured several of Rahane's former teammates from different stages of his career.RAHANE'S INTERNATIONAL CAREERRahane announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in July, bringing an end to a career that included appearances across all three international formats. He last represented India in the 2023 two-Test series against the West Indies, after which he was dropped from the Test side.The right-handed batter finished his Test career with 5,077 runs in 85 matches at an average of 38.46. He also played 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is, scoring 2,962 and 375 runs respectively.Rahane was a key member of India's Test setup for several years and captained the side during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Under his leadership, India won the final Test at Brisbane to clinch the series 2-1 after losing the opening match and being bowled out for 36 in Adelaide.His all-time India Test XI brings together players from across his international and domestic career, with Dhoni leading a side that features Tendulkar, Dravid, Ashwin, Jadeja and three members of India's pace attack from the late 2010s.Ajinkya Rahane's All-time Indian Test XI:Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (c, wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma- Ends