Steve Smith Picks Dream Team, Sachin and Bhajji In But Excludes Kohli

Australia captain Steve Smith played his 100th ODI on Thursday. Prior to the match, he was asked to pick his dream team. Smith included the likes of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and ace spinner Harbhajan Singh. However he did not include counterpart Virat Kohli in the squad. However he was still full of praise for Virat. Smith said “This Indian group is quite fit and they take pride in their fitness. You can certainly see the difference in the energy levels and the way they go about their business,”

Smith said that he admired everything Kohli has done with the Indian team and that he was a terrific captain and player. He also said that one of his aims was to win a series in India. He continued “It is a massive rivalry and has been for so long. As a captain you would love to win a Test series here in India. It is one of the toughest places to come and play. The wicket is so different and there is always great cricket. This one-day and T20 series is no different,”

Besides Tendulkar and Harbhajan, the Sydney-born player also named spin legend Shane Warne and batting legend Sir Don Bradman for his Test XI. He also nominated Mitchell Johnson and Mike Hussey in his ODI all-time squad.

Smith’s 100th ODI will take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and he said that he would hapily take a duck even if it helped them win a game. He said “I have never played an international match here. I assume the crowd will be pretty loud and packed and am looking forward to playing here. I have watched a lot of games in the past being played here,”