After naming my All Time India XI(Best) in ODI & Test respectively,i thought why not name an all time Flop India XI of all time(just 4 fun);)

OPENERS:

Sadagopan Ramesh

Shiv Sunder Das

MIDDLE ORDER:

Vinod Kambli

Rohit Sharma(Captain Undoubtedly)

Sanjay Bangar

Deep Das Gupta

Dinesh Mongia(all rounder)

Ajay Ratra(wicket keeper)

BOWLERS:

Ashok Dinda

Laxmipathy Balaji

Piyush Chawla

12th Man:

Harbhajan Singh

SHANE WARNE:KING OF SPIN

Rarely has the game of cricket seen a performer like Shane Warne.Perhaps one of the greatest bowlers that the game of cricket has ever seen,Shane Warne with his spin bowling changed the face of cricket viewed by the general public.Not only did he make leg spin a cult among his playing days but also constantly surprised people with his jaw dropping bowling,charisma & occasional wonders with the bat.

No leg spinner in the history of the game has been as good & lethal as a performer like Shane Warne has been.Although few leg spinners like Anil Kumble,Richie Benaud,B Chandrashekhar,Abdul Qadir & Jim Laker come close but none can match the level of performance that Shane Warne has set everytime he played for Australia.In the year 2000 he was among five crickters selected as the Wisden Crickteres of the century,a feat which cultivated his status to being an absolute legend.In a career spanning well over 15 years Shane Warne took over 1000 International wickets.Be it Test Matches or ODI'S the king of spin tormented batsman from all teams no matter how great the batsman was.In 145 test matches Warney captured a mammoth 708 test wickets @ bowling  average of 25.41 with 10-10wicket hauls & 37 times he captured 5 or more wicket in an innings with 8-71 being his best performance against against England in Brisbane.Richie Benaud had once famously said that Shane Warne is to bowling what Sachin Tendulkar is to batting.Shane Warne has enjoyed success against every team but against India he had to face a hard time as the Indian batsman were such good players of spin bowling.The Warne-Tendulkar duel or rivalry was fast catching up as one of the most exciting moments in cricket.The Master of batting vs The Wizard of Spin.After retiring from International Cricket, Warne was signed as the captian for The Rajasthan Royals in the inaugral Indian Premier League for a base price of 450,000$,little did people knew  that Warne would lead the Royals to victory in the very first edition of the IPL.Warne even after retirement from International Cricket, showed splendid moments of fine bowling in the IPL & astute leadership for which he was widely appreciated as he helped nurtured the young talent in the team.He also played in the Big Bash for the Melboune Stars.A true gentlemen that he was, he always publicly acknowledged great performers & their performances.He tormented batsman at his will his leg spin bowling,it was magical to see Warne bowling.What truly sealed Warne's position as an all time great bowler was his constant mind games with the batsman,winning matches on numerous accounts for Australia single handedly,the quality of leg spin was certainly legendary,it was hard to believe that someone could turn the cricket ball so much.The ball that Shane Warne bowled to Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes Series was termed as "Ball of the Century".Mike Gatting was considered to be one of the very few good players of spin bowling in the English cricket team at that time but Gatting was totally bamboozled by the delivery that Warne bowled at him.He was  the highest wicket taker in his very first series with 34 wickets in 6 test matches.The English have always bore the brunt of Warne's genuises with the cricket ball with the the legend capturing 195 wickets in 36 test matches against them.Warne toyed with batsman from teams like South Africa,Pakistan,New Zealand & Sri Lanka.Bowling in the rough, destroying top batsman at will & getting into their minds, Warne was a real class.In the ODI circuit too he was successful but didn't play long due to  failed drug test just before the 2003 world cup owing to which he later retired from one day cricket,still in 194 ODI Warne captured 293 wickets.He was also the highest wicket taker in the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup with 20 wickets & was also named man of the match in successive matches in the semi-finals against the Proteas & in the final against Pakistan where he completely destroyed the Pakistani batting with 4-33 in the finals.Shane Warne was also handy with the bat as he managed to score 3000+ test runs with 99 being his highest test score.The Magician that he was with his craft of leg spin bowling Shane Warne became widely considered as one the greatest players to ever play the game of cricket.

His career had few controversies like the Failed Dope Test before the 2003 world cup,accepting money from a bookie just before the match for providing pitch & weather information besides also his feuds with Arjuna Ranatunga,Steve Waugh & Adam Gilchrist.Very few batsman have dominated Warne,Sachin being an exception the only batsman who could play Shane Warne so well be it inside out or playing shots when the ball was balled in the rough to him.I believe he is not just the greatest bowler of all time but also for his stupendous performances over the years as one of the greatest cricketers of all time.It is widely believed that Shane Warne was the greatest captain Australia never had,he was a gambler he used to play poker & his mind could pull off genuises that only few could execute.Crowds loved Shane Warne some even coming to see a match just to see Warne bowl those majestic spell of spin bowling.He has won 17 man of the match awards in tests quite a rare feat for a leg spinner.On countless occassions, Shane Warne has done the impossible,bowled the odd ball & castled batsman around their legs many a times.He too, was a character on the cricket pitch always in the scheme of things besides being a great slip filder too.He was also a part of 92 test matches that the Aussies won with him in the team.Almost all of the cricketing greats including Brian Lara & Sachin Tendulkar have said that Warne is one of the greatest bowlers they have faced and is an all time great.A thorough legend that he is,it is his craft of leg spin bowling which truly made people,cricketing pundits & cricketers of his generation realise how great of a bowler Shane Warne is.

KEVIN PIETERSEN: ONE OF GAME'S GREATEST BATSMAN

Kevin Pietersen has been one of the most enigmatic & charismatic cricketers of the modern era.Dominant & competitive on the field yet controversial.Kevin Pietersen or KP as he is fondly called is a South African born English batsman who after playing domestic cricket in South Africa voiced his displeasure at the quota system that existed in the South African National Team & left to play for the England Cricket team.Kevin Pietersen has been one of the dominant batsman that the game of cricket has seen in the last decade or so.

Only Matthew Hayden & Ricky Ponting come close to KP'S dominance on the field.Kevin Pietersen made his test match debut against the formidable Aussie side in 2005 captained by Ricky Ponting & immediatlely made headlines with his heroics with the bat & the Mowhawk haircut that he sported.With an impressive debut series against the Aussies whereby he scored 473 runs @ an more than impressive average of 52.55 he was named the man of the series for his effort which included a series clinching 158. The succes on the tours of Zimbabwe,South Africa & the Ashes immediately made KP a huge hit with the fans.KP is the fastest batsman to reach the milestone of 1000 & 2000 runs in ODI cricket emulating the all time great Sir Viv Richards.In the Test arena too,KP was adamant on breaking more records & being an all time great as he had the second highest run total from first 25 tests only behind another legend Sir Donald Bradman,in terms of days he was also the fastest to 4000,5000& 7000 test runs.Although Kevin Pietersen's career hasn't been short of controversies.His eccentric personality combined by his enigma has landed him in a soup many a times in a career.First he had a fallout with the England Cricket Team National Coach Peter Moores,he also resigned from the captaincy after a short stint & also announced his retirement from the ODI arena though he would retract later & continue to play for England.He also had a famous fallout with England & Wales Cricket Board,Captain Andrew Strauss & teamates owing to which he was widely criticised which put his hall of fame career in jeopardy.It all became soon  sorted as England coach Andy Flower sorted out things within the team the issue of KP included.He has been one of the most loved cricketers round the globe.According to a survey out of all the successful international cricketers,the cricketer that the Indian Public loved & wanted to watch play the most in the IPL was Kevin Pietersen.KP was majestic with the bat in the T20 world cup help in the west indies in 2010 & for his heroics he was also named the man of the series.He has constantly thrashed teams like India,Pakistan,South Africa,Australia & New Zealand.In 98 tests KP has amassed over 7775 runs batting at no.4 position with 23 hundreds & 31 half centuries @ an average of 48.74 & in the ODI circuit he has scored 4369 runs in 132 ODI'S @ an average of 41.60 with 9 centuries & 24 half centuries,both records being impressive.An intimidating batsman KP likes to dominate the bowling & at times even come as far as on the half crease to hit a shot,not many batsman besides Matthew Hayden have done that.KP has been widely considered been one of the most feared batsman in recent times in International Cricket.He has regularly thrashed the Indian bowling attack at his will by scoring 6 impressive big hundreds against them including 2 double tons. His highest test score being 227 against the Aussies in their own backyard at the Adeilade Oval which won the match convincingly for England.

His famous yet controversial shot "Switch Hit" through which he scored huge sixes to many fast & spin bowlers was soon banned by the ICC owing to the legality of the shot.He loves hitting the big shots especially huge sixes & dominating the bowlers at his will owing to which he is widely considered as a dominant batsman.He has been an out and out performer for the England Cricket Team.Many cricketing legends & cricketing pundits have already hailed KP as one of the most dominant yet complete batsman that we have seen playing the game of cricket.KP is always in the news be it his attitude,his tattoos,his personality,his on field heroics he is a controversial yet enigmatic character but a character that wins matches for England on his own.Fans love him,fellow cricketers respect his game & cricketing pundits have always named KP as Engalnd's greatest Modern Era Batsman.KP has always been  a difficult character to understand but a performer,no one can deny his greatness.The aura of KP has made him a huge hit with fans & cricketing legends. As a self confessed Kevin Pietersen fan i feel he has all the shots in the book, is an all time great & a great character to watch be it the IPL or any form of cricket.KP has always stated in interviews that he intends to be one of the game's greatest batsman & score 10000 test runs @ an average of 50+ to be in the league of all time greats only a confident person would say that in public.His career has had the share of  lows &  highs but it hasn't stopped KP from being the kind of character he is the kind of crickter he is to countinue as performer at the highest level.His attitude is quite similar to that of Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali,strive to be the best,fierce attitude yet charming personality & unmatched performance with the bat.Kevin Pietersen for his majestic ability with the bat & his superman heroics owing to which the England team has become a success should be credited as one of the game's greatest batsman  ever if not the greatest.

INDIAN CINEMA'S FINEST ACTORS:JHAKAAS ANIL KAPOOR

Perhaps one of the  finest actors that the Indian Film Fraternity has ever produced. Anil Kapoor surely remains one of its most verstaile & greatest of actors in the last 35 years.In a career spanning well over 3 decades the he has done it all in Hindi Cinema as well as Internationally.Anil Kapoor who made his debut with a small role in Humare Tumhare in 1979 went on to do many blockbuster commercial as well as  critical successes like Woh Saat Din,Meri Jung,Ishwar,Mashaal,Mr.India,Karma,Ram Lakhan,Parinda,Lamhe,Tezaab,Virasat,Pukar,Welcome,No Entry,My Wife's Murder,Slumdog Millionare besides acting in hit TV series 24.

A struggler in his initial days, Anil Kapoor started doing small roles and even ventured into  Kannada & Telegu Films as he was not getting movies in the Bombay Film Industry as it was then fondly known as.It was after he acted in Woh Saat Din that people got to notice his talent..He gave a stupendous performance in Woh Saat D alongside Nasserudin Shah which by many is still widely remembered and recognised as one of the greatest performance by an actor till date.The word Jhakaas has become synonymous with him.He was undoubtedly the biggest star of the mid 80's & early 90's and continues to remian a big star favourite among the masses.His comic performance in Chameli ki Shaadi was applauded..He gave legendary performances in movies like Meri Jung that gave him the angry young man image,Tezaab which won him his first Filmfare award for best actor,Mashaal alongside the legendary Dilip Sahab for which he won the Best Actor in a supporting role besides also  commercial blockbusters like Ram Lakhan,Parinda,Beta,Khel,Kishen Kanhaiya,Janbaaz & last but not the least the role for which he is most remembered for the potrayal of Arun Verma in the cult film Mr.India.Anil Kapoor was the rising and one of the biggest stars at that time.Besides he also gave some brilliant & unorthodox performances in movies like Ishwar,Lamhe,Virasat,1942 A love Story which showcased his versatality as an actor.Almost every movie that he acted in during that time became a huge hit.Tezaab was a huge sensation with the masses & Beta too,which made him a fan favourite.He simply ruled the Hindi Film Industry at one point of time even outdid the great Amitabh Bachchan..He had his share of lows that after pumping all his money for Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja,it bombed at the box office miserably thus hitting his star value at that time.Few actors bounce back from failures like Anil Kapoor has.After the failure of Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja he did 1942-A Love Story & Laadla,two very different characters and two very different films.He has time and again reinvented himself.His performance in the cult classic Virasat still remains in the minds of people and is still widely talked about as one of his greatest ever.

He has won every award,worked with every filmmaker,his is a class actor with a lot of versatality & passion for excellence his his craft.He won the prestigious National Award for his portrayal of an Army Officer in Pukar.His role as the Chief Minster of Maharashtra in the iconic movie Nayak is still a hit with the public.His comic act in movies like Biwi no.1,Deewana Mastana,Khel,Kishen Kanhaiya,No Entry,Welcome are simply superb.His tenacity to constantly reinvent himself & do character role elevated his status among his fans.In the last couple of years he has again been the "Dark Knight" or the "Lambi Race ka Ghoda" he has surged ahead of his contemporaries by doing movies like Slumdog Millionare,Shootout At Wadala & his bravo act in the magnificent season 8 of the hit TV sitcom 24,it generated rave reviews for Anil Kapoor globally and he has thus become one of the most widely recognied actors from the Indian Film Industry overseas.Slumdog Millionare gave him the recognition,appreciation & accolades that he truly deserved.A personal favourite he is thoroughly underrated should have been given more due but nonetheless he is getting his share  now..Arjun Kapoor,also an actor, his niece has described that watching Anil Kapoor on a set on a given day is a lesson in cinema .He might not be as big as a star as SRK or Amitabh Bachchan is but he for sure is one of the greatest actors that we have ever seen act.... Kudos to the man.Surely one of Hindi Cinema's finest ever.

ALAN SHEARER:MASTERCLASS

One of the game's finest & purest strikers Alan Shearer has won it all & done it all in the game of football.One of the most successful players in the Premier League History Shearer has won the the coveted winners medal by winning the English Premier League with Blackburn Rovers though he felt short of accomplishing the same feat with the club the spent most time of his glorious career with Newcastle United.Alan Shearer has been the record goalscorer in the EPL history with 260 goals & 422 in all competitions.He was thus awarded the Football Writers Association Player of the year in 1994 & the PFA player of the year award in 1995.Shearer had a goal to game ratio at 0.667 throughout his career which is mighty impressive besides he also won the golden boot in the EPL a record 3 times only behind another great Theiry Henry.Shearer has amassed many a records in the Premier League history owing to which he became one of the top players in tha game at that time.Alan Shearer a fan favourite thus was also a regular in the England National Squad.Shearer who was a centre forward was insanely strong with brute power,ferocious speed & the heading ability owing to which he scored so many goals.

In his  illustrious career spanning over 18 years he played for top clubs like Southampton,Blackburn Rovers & Newcastle United.His career had a few controversies though like his aggresive style of play & him being charged for misconduct by the FA besides his  feud with United Legend Roy KeaneHe was offered a record offer to either join Manchester United or Newcastle United, but he chose the latter for 15m pounds & didn't win a single championship throughout his playing days in Newcastle United.Alan Shearer had some of his most destructive & majestic years when he played with the Magpies.He could never really win a trophy at the club he used to hero worship since his childhood but he even managed the club for a single season when the team was in shambles but couldn't do much as Newcastle were relegated to tier-2.The 10 glorious years he spent at St.James Park are still remembered by his loyal fans.Many of the game's great have named him in their elusive all time great sqaud,he is even listed in FIFA 100,as one of the 100 greatest players ever to play the game of football.A personal favourite player of mine i always respected Alan Shearer,he was always a hero & a legend to me..My personal favourite Alan Shearer goal remains the goal he scored against Manchester United in 2004 at St.James Park,it was perhaps one of his many great goals.Personal Favourite Moment includes the time when he reitred he went to the bench and then came again & scored against Celtic Glasgow in his testimonial match where he scored a penalty also the Euro competition held in 1996 where he was the top scorer with 5 goals.It is quite hard to sum up Alan Shearer's genius & his maverick abilities in words but he surely will remain as one of the game's greatest players to have ever played the game.Alan Shearer#respect#foreverNewcastleFC

All Time World Test XI

After announcing my All Time ODI XI there's an even more complicated task at hand and that is to name the all time Test World XI.If Cricket has survived & if it has managed to win so many fans all around the world then Test Cricket has to be the answer.Test Cricket is widely recognised as the purest form or the platform whereby a cricketer's cricketing skills are seriously put to 5 days of gruel test.Being an avid follower of the game since my childhood,have followed nuances & insights of the game no ordinary fan would have thought of.It is almost impossible to name one All Time XI so have decided upon 3 All Time Team,that is,First All Time,Second All Time & Third All Time:

FIRST ALL TIME TEAM:

OPENERS:

Sunil Gavaskar

Sir Jack Hobbs

MIDDLE ORDER:

Sir Donald Bradman(Captain)
Sachin Tendulkar
Brian Lara
Sir Garfield Sobers(all rounder)

Adam Gilchrist(wicket keeper)

BOWLERS:

Shane Warne
Curtly Ambrose

Glen McGrath

Wasim Akram

12thMan:

Michael Holding/Ian Botham

SECOND ALL TIME TEAM:

OPENERS:

Wally Hammond

Kumar Sangakara(wicket keeper)

MIDDLE ORDER:

Rahul Dravid
Sir Vivian  Richards

Jacques Kallis(all rounder)

Steve Waugh

Imran Khan(Captain)

BOWLERS:

Shaun Pollock

Anil Kumble

Richard Hadlee

Muttiah Murlitharan

12th Man:

Michael Hussey/Dennis Lillee

ALL TIME THIRD TEAM:

OPENERS:

Matthew Hayden

Virender Sehwag

MIDDLE ORDER:

Ricky Ponting(Captain)

Kevin Pietersen

Mahela Jayawardene

Kapil Dev(all rounder)

Alec Stewart(wicket keeper)

BOWLERS:

Waqar Younis

Courtney Walsh

Malcomm Marshall

BS Chandrashekhar

12thMan:

Allan Donald/VVS Laxman

All Time World ODI XI

Cricket since its inception by the English has seen the game evolved over the years.The ODI format has been a successful one like the Test Format.It has witnessed some of the greatest of batsman in Tendulkar & Ponting and bowlers like McGrath & Akram.It is quite an impossible feat to name all the greats in one elusive team so have decided upon 3 teams,that is,All Time First Team,All Time Second Team,All Time Third Team:

ALL TIME FIRST TEAM:

OPENERS:

Adam Gilchrist (Wicket Keeper)

Sachin Tendulkar

MIDDLE ORDER:

Sourav Ganguly(Captain)

Viv Richards

Jacques Kallis(all rounder)
Michael Bevan
MS Dhoni

BOWLERS:

Shane Warne

Wasim Akram
Muttiah Muralitharan

Glen McGrath

12th Man:

Chaminda Vaas/Michael Hussey

SECOND ALL TIME TEAM:

OPENERS:

Kumar Sangakara(wicket keeper)

Mark Waugh

MIDDLE ORDER:

Rahul Dravid

Brian Lara
Ricky Ponting

Yuvraj Singh

Chris Cairns
Kapil Dev(All Rounder)

BOWLERS:

Waqar Younis

Shaun Pollock

Brett Lee

12th Man:

Inzamam Ul Haq/Saqlain Mushtaq

ALL TIME THIRD TEAM:

OPENERS:

Sanath Jayasuria

Matthew Hayden

MIDDLE ORDER:

Virat Kohli

Kevin Pietersen

AB De Velliers(wicket keeper)

Mahela Jayawardene(Captain)

Andrew Flintoff(all rounder)

BOWLERS:

Daniel Vettori

Darren Gough

Javagal Srinath

Shane Bond

12th Man:

Damein Martyn/Shoaib Akhtar

All Time Team India XI(ODI):

Having won the World Cup twice in 1983 & 2011 & also having won the World Championship Of Cricket in 1985 held in Australia,Team India has produced some oustanding players in the shorter format of the game that is the 50 over format.Tendulkar,Ganguly,Dhoni,Yuvraj are some of its most iconic players

An all time Team India XI ODI could easily give any all time team a run for it's money.Here's my pick for the All time Team India XI (ODI):

OPENERS:

Sachin Tendulkar

Sourav Ganguly(Captain)

MIDDLE ORDER:

Rahul Dravid

Mohammed Azharuddin

Ajay Jadeja

Yuvraj Singh/Virat Kohli

Kapil Dev

MS Dhoni(Vice Captain/Wicket Keeper)

Bowlers:

Anil Kumble

Zaheer Khan

Javagal Srinath

12th Man

Maninder Singh

All Time Team India XI{Test}

Indian Cricket has produced some of the finest players that the game has ever seen be it Gavaskar,Tendulkar,Kapil DEv,Dravid,Ganguly so many of them.It is quite a difficult task to handpick an all time India XI but here's the thing if it were to happen Team India would look almost invincible.Here's my pick for the all time Team India XI Test squad:

Openers:

Sunil Gavaskar

Virendra Sehwag

Middle Order:

Rahul Dravid

Sachin Tendulkar

Sourav Ganguly(Captain)

VVS Laxman

MS Dhoni(wicket keeper)

Kapil Dev(All Rounder)

Bowlers:

Anil Kumble

Zaheer Khan

Javagal Srinath

12th Man:

Gundapa Vishwanath/BS Chandrashekhar

It's a Bird,It's a Plane,Nope its Usian Bolt

Usian "Lightning" Bolt has to be one of the greatest of athletes & sportsmen that anyone could ever witness.Bolt hasn't broken but shattered many of the records be it the 100m,4x100m relay & 200m.He has won it all be it the Olympic Gold Medal or theWorld Championship.The kind of athlete that he is it has become almost impossible even for the likes of Yohan Blake,Tyson Gay,Justin Gatlin,Asafa Powell & others to stop him. Bolt has charmed the likes of everyone with his signature move after winning the race,people really love Usian Bolt.Reigning World & Olympic Champion Bolt has surpassed the likes of Carl Lewis & Michael Johnson with his phenomenal display of speed on the track.Gold Medals in the 2008 & 2012 summer olympics coupled his heroic win and made him a fan favourite.

His credentials include the 100m in staggering 9.58s & the 200m record at 19.19s.Bolt has always preferred the 200m more than the 100m race as it suits him more because of the slow start he takes but then strikes of with sheer pace.Bolt burst onto the scene after 2008 Beijing Olympics where he shattered the world record for 100 & 200m.Magnificent athelte that he is  Bolt has thus dominated the field of athletics like anyone has ever done before.At 6'5 @ 210 lbs with insane shoulders & huge arms Bolt is surely a magnetic personality.With 6 Olympic Gold Medals & 8 World Championships Gold Bolt is surely one of the most dominant & decorated athletes that we have ever seen.His rise to prominence has really made us awestruck by his onfield greatness every time we see him run.Bolt recently concluded Moscow world Championships in 100m,200m& 4x100m relay & became tied with all time great Carl Lewis with most gold medals in world championships.Even the likes of Prince Harry was bowled over by the charm & athletic genius that Bolt posseses.Bolt is a beast on the track, he likes to dominate at the same time he wants the world to know that he wants to be the greatest athlete & sportsmen that one has ever seen.He is a phenomenal athlete,his genius cannot be described,laughing assasin to be precise.Time and again Usian Bolt has entertained all of us by his sheer brilliance & oustanding superman heroics on the field.How often do we see an athlete slowing down just before the finish line not because he is tired but because he is excited,fiercly competitive & wants to win at any cost even though it cost him a couple of more seconds.The Legend of Usian Bolt is epic.He is a cult with the fans.His attitude towards domination & his quest & obsession of winning has surely made him one of the greatest athletes that we have ever seen.