Former Indian cricketer and 2011 World Cup champion Suresh Raina has sparked debate after revealing his World Playing XI during the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025, a tournament in which he is currently participating. Surprisingly, Raina chose not to include two Indian greats — Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni — in his lineup.
Star-Studded Line-Up Without Indian Icons
Raina’s team features some of the biggest names in cricket history. For the opening pair, he picked Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, forming a powerful left-right combination. The middle order includes legends such as Sir Viv Richards, Gary Sobers, and Yuvraj Singh, showcasing a mix of flair and experience.
In the bowling department, Raina opted for just two fast bowlers — Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff, both known for their all-round abilities. However, what stood out most was the inclusion of four spinners: Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Shane Warne, with Paul Adams named as the impact player.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉-𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕,” 𝑹𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
Suresh Raina’s World Playing XI:
Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards, Garry Sobers, Yuvraj Singh, Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff, Shane Warne, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Saqlain Mushtaq
Impact Player: Paul Adams
Indian Team Faces Backlash Over Participation
The WCL 2025 has returned following the success of its inaugural edition, featuring teams from India, Australia, England, Pakistan, South Africa, and the West Indies. Under Yuvraj Singh’s captaincy, the Indian side includes key players such as Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, and Robin Uthappa. India is set to open its campaign against Pakistan Champions on July 20.
However, the Indian team’s decision to play against Pakistan has drawn sharp criticism from fans back home, especially after recent tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack.
“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅𝒚,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂.
As the tournament unfolds, attention remains split between on-field action and the off-field controversy surrounding India’s participation.
Also Read: Greg Chappell Advises Shubman Gill to Become a Strong Communicator to Unite Team India