Current India captain Rohit Sharma had surprisingly omitted Steve Smith from his best Australia Test XI when Rohit was asked to make his choices a few years ago for brand Hublot, which is a famous Swiss watch brand. Rohit is the second cricketer ever to become the brand ambassador of world-famous watch brand Hublot after former Aussie skipper Michael Clarke.
For a YouTube video for this brand, Rohit was asked to name his best Australia Test XI. And to the shock of many, the Indian opener didn’t pick Steve Smith, who has been tormenting the Indian bowlers in all formats for a long time. Against India, Smith averages a whopping 65 in Test cricket, having slammed 9 centuries in 19 Tests, yet Rohit excluded Smith from his best Australian Test XI.
Rohit Sharma picked his best Australian Test XI:
For the opening pair, Sharma went with two left-handers – Matthew Hayden and David Warner. While Rohit played against Hayden in the T20 World Cup 2007, which was in the last phase of Hayden’s career, Rohit has competed with Warner for the past dozen years.
For the middle-order slots, Sharma picked the famed Australian trio of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, and Mike Hussey. Rohit played little against them in international cricket as all of them were at the fag end of their international careers when Rohit Sharma debuted in 2007. Interestingly, Rohit Sharma captained both Ponting and Hussey at Mumbai Indians.
Shane Watson is the best Australian all-rounder Rohit Sharma saw in his career, while Adam Gilchrist’s name was certain as the wicket-keeper.
The bowling attack was much easier to choose for Rohit : the legendary pair of Warne and McGrath will make into everyone’s team, and Rohit opted for two high-speed pacers in Lee and Johnson.
Rohit Sharma’s best Australia XI: Matthew Hayden, David Warner, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Shane Watson, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson
