Dinesh Karthik names his all-time best India T20I XI; Leaves out Arshdeep Singh

By Vikas Singh Derek

Vikas Singh Derek has a Master's in Journalism and has written more than 50,000 articles. He currently works as a cricket content writer at Khel Now.

Published at :September 6, 2025 at 2:36 PM

Modified at :September 6, 2025 at 2:36 PM

(Courtesy : Getty Images)

Dinesh Karthik picked MS Dhoni as captain of his all-time India T20I XI.

Former Indian wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik has picked his all-time India T20I XI. Karthik revealed his team during a video on Cricbuzz. Surprisingly, he left out India’s highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket, Arshdeep Singh.

Karthik went with Abhishek Sharma and Rohit Sharma as openers of the side. Abhishek made his international debut last year and has cemented his place as an opener in T20Is with his aggressive brand of play. The left-handed batsman has also slammed two centuries across 17 games.

Rohit retired from T20I cricket last year after captaining India to the ICC T20 World Cup title. He is the highest run-scorer for India in the shortest format. At No. 3, Karthik slotted Virat Kohli, who has also hung up the boots from T20I cricket. Kohli is the second highest run-scorer for India in T20Is.

Karthik also placed current T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav in the middle-order. He then picked all-rounder Yuvraj Singh in the middle-order. Yuvraj played a crucial role during India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2007 title triumph.

Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni. (Image Source: Twitter)

Karthik then picked Hardik Pandya in the lower order, who played a vital role during India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 title-winning campaign. He went on to pick MS Dhoni as captain and wicket-keeper of his team. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, India had won the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007.

Notably, the cricketer-turned-commentator also chose Axar Patel as another all-rounder in his team. In the pace department, he went ahead with Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The latter last played for India in 2022. Varun Chakravarthy was the frontline spinner in Karthik’s team.

Dinesh Karthik’s all-time India T20I XI

Abhishek Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (C) (Wk), Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.

What is Dinesh Karthik’s all-time India T20I XI?

Karthik’s all-time India T20I XI: Abhishek Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (C), Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.

When did Dinesh Karthik announce his retirement from all forms of cricket?

Karthik announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2024.

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Vikas Singh Derek

Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.