Former Australian batsman and Mr. Cricket Michael Hussey on Wednesday announced his ‘Best Enemies XI’ in Test cricket. Hussey picked three Indians in his team that included explosive opener Virender Sehwag, the little master Sachin Tendulkar, and modern-day great Virat Kohli.
Hussey picked the Best XI of opponents he has played against in Test cricket on “The Unplayable Podcast.” He picked Virender Sehwag and Graeme Smith as openers. At the number three spot, he roped in former West Indies legend Brian Lara. He picked Tendulkar and Kohli to bat at number four and five respectively. while Jacques Kallis comes in at number five as the all-rounder, followed by wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara.
South African fast bowlers Dale Steyn, and Morne Morkel, English pacer James Anderson and spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan made up brutal bowling attack in his XI.
The Australian batsman said it was difficult for him to leave out former Chennai Super Kings teammate and captain MS Dhoni. He justified his decision, stating that Sangakkara pipped the dasher from Ranchi based on the impact in the most extended format of the game.
“Sangakkara had an immense impact in Test cricket,” “I wrestled with this one between Kumar Sangakkara, MS Dhoni, and AB de Villiers. But I think the latter two have got more impact in the shorter formats T20Is and ODIs.” Hussey stated.
Asked what it was like facing bowling legends like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, and Brett Lee in the nets, the former middle-order batsman said the sessions were ruthless.
“It was brutal. If you can get through your net sessions unscathed, you know you can get through anything in Test cricket,” he stated. “That was the real strength of the Australian team when I was playing,” he added.
Hussey was part of a dominant Australian side, and the southpaw believes “high-quality training” was the reason behind the team’s success. “Seeing the current team train now, the high-quality training probably sets up apart from the other countries, certainly the West Indies. Have seen a couple of their training session, and they are much more relaxed,” Michael Hussey added.
Michael Hussey’s Best Enemies XI:
Virender Sehwag, Graeme Smith, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, James Anderson, Muttiah Muralitharan.
