Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and more feature in the World Test XI of the 2010s

While T20 cricket continued to reach unprecedented heights in the 2010s, Test cricket still remained one for the purists. By the end of the decade, Test cricket's new jerseys gave it a modern flavour. Still, it retained the charm that cricket purists appreciate. In this article, we take a look back through the decade and declare the best World Test XI of the 2010s.

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World XI of the decade

1. David Warner

The explosive Australian southpaw declared his dominance on the entire spectrum of the game when he started wearing the baggy green for Australia. Since his Test debut in 2011, Warner has scored 7001 runs with 23 hundreds and a highest score of 335*.

2. Hashim Amla

The Proteas batting maestro kept ruling the batting charts and gave purists a lot of entertainment with his elegant batting. In his career that ended in 2019, Amla scored 9282 runs with 28 centuries and a high score of 311*.

3. Steve Smith (captain)

Steve Smith rose to be one of the best batsmen in the world after debuting as a lower-order spinner. The former Australian Test captain has scored 7056 runs in his career with 26 hundreds and a high score of 239.

4. Virat Kohli 

The Indian batsman was all class throughout this decade. He made himself into a force to be reckoned with. Kohli has scored 7202 runs in his career with 27 hundreds and a high score of 254*.

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5. Ben Stokes

After producing several legendary innings like the one at Headingley, Ben Stokes imprinted his name in the history books and became a dominant force in World Cricket. The all-rounder has scored 3738 Test runs with 137 wickets to his name.

6. Ravindra Jadeja

Another massive find of the 2010s was Ravindra Jadeja, the left-arm spinner whose batting also packs a punch. In the 2010s, Jadeja scored 1844 runs with the bat and took 211 wickets.

7. Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper)

The South African stood out as a dependable keeper and an explosive batsman for South Africa in all formats. De Kock has scored 2554 runs with five hundreds.

8. Ravichandran Ashwin

With his variations and smartness, Ravi Ashwin established himself as one of the most important spinners in world cricket. He helped India clinch victories on several occasions. He has taken 362 wickets in his Test career till now.

9. Nathan Lyon

The Australian became one of the most important spinners in the world and dominated almost every team on the planet. Lyon has taken 372 Test wickets till now.

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10. Tim Southee

The Kiwi pacer played a very important role throughout the 2010s. He has already picked up 262 Test wickets since his debut.

11. Mitchell Starc

The sharp Australian dominated the global scene and turned into a lethal pace bowler since his debut in 2011. In the 2010s, Starc took 234 impressive wickets.

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