Suresh Raina selected World Playing 11 before WCL 2025; Both Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni were not given place

Suresh Raina picked his favourite World XI but did not include Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.

Former left-handed Indian batsman and 2011 World Cup winner Suresh Raina is currently playing in the WCL (World Championship of Legends) 2025. During this, he named his world playing XI, in which he has not included big names like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.

As openers he has picked Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, which looks like a strong left-right hand combination. In the middle order he has included players like Yuvraj Singh, Garry Sobers and former West Indies legend Sir Viv Richards.

His team has only two fast bowlers, former English player Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff, who can also play the role of a useful all-rounder. Surprisingly he picked four spinners (Saqlain Mushtaq, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Shane Warne) and his impact player will also be a spinner, former South African Paul Adams.

Suresh Raina’s World Playing XI

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, Paul Adams (Impact Player)

It is worth noting that after the immense success of the first season of the World Championship of Legends, it is returning with another exciting season where fans are ready to enjoy the spectacular performances of the legends of the game. Six teams including India champions, Australia champions, England champions, South Africa champions, Pakistan champions and West Indies champions are set to clash with each other for the title.

Under the captaincy of Yuvraj Singh, with a strong team of Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa and many other players, the Indian champions are ready for the upcoming challenges. In this tournament starting from July 18, Team India’s first match will be against Pakistan champions on July 20.

Why is Suresh Raina being criticised?

Raina and the rest of the Indian team have been facing severe criticism from the domestic fans for their decision to play in a tournament involving Pakistan. The decision comes just months after the Pahalgam attack and the subsequent cross-border conflict that left several innocent Indians dead.