Cricket, a sport known for its thrilling encounters, often brings out the intensity in players. While some athletes are celebrated for their calm demeanour, others are recognised for their fiery, combative nature. Former Indian cricketer, S. Sreesanth, famous for his own energetic style, has recently shared his all-time "Calmest XI," which ironically includes some of the game's most aggressive characters.

In a conversation with Sportskeeda, Sreesanth named Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian captain, as the skipper of this dynamic lineup. Ganguly, remembered for his passionate leadership, once famously waved his shirt from the Lord’s balcony, a moment etched in cricket history. Interestingly, this team features players who are known not for their calm, but for their fiery and competitive spirit.

The opening combination includes two aggressive cricketers from Delhi, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. Known for their intense rivalry and never-back-down attitude, they bring a bold edge to the team's top order. Kohli, with his expressive celebrations, and Gambhir, famous for his no-nonsense approach, make for a fierce duo.

Ricky Ponting, one of Australia’s most dominant captains, is the vice-captain. His aggressive captaincy and verbal battles are legendary. Sourav Ganguly, the captain of this XI, is known for his fearless approach.

Shahid Afridi for his explosive batting, has had his fair share of on-field spats. His unpredictable nature, combined with his aggressive batting, adds flair to the lineup.

Shakib al Hasan, while known for his calm demeanor, has occasionally let his emotions get the better of him. His ability to perform under pressure, both with the bat and ball, makes him an essential part of this XI.

Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar bring intensity to the bowling department. Both players have a history of heated moments on the field, adding spice to this lineup.

Kieron Pollard, known for his monstrous sixes, brings a physical presence to the team. Despite his fun-loving personality off the field, Pollard has been involved in several heated exchanges during matches.

Former South African bowler Andre Nel completes the bowling attack. His sledging and fiery attitude on the field, coupled with his aggressive bowling style, made him a fearsome competitor during his playing days.

Lastly, Sreesanth humorously includes himself in this lineup. Known for his own emotional outbursts and animated behaviour on the field, Sreesanth’s inclusion serves as a fitting end to this combative yet talented XI.

Cricket, with its dynamic fluctuations in how it is inherently played, is bound to elicit a range of emotions. Happiness and joy are normal emotions during victory, but things often have turned south at many fervent instances which have drawn out a strong range of intense emotions from a whole lot of cricketers, even if they didn't mean it to be levied on a personal basis. 

Former India cricketer, S. Sreesanth, recently put forth a team of 11 members in what he ironically termed as his "all-time calmest XI". 

In a fresh conversation with Sportskeeda, the World Cup-winning paceman named former India skipper, Sourav Ganguly, as the skipper of the team. Ganguly was himself known as quite an animated character back then, with one of his most famous incidents related to him going overboard being his celebration from the balcony of the Indian dressing room at the iconic Lord's, post India clinching the NatWest series against England in 2002.

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Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, the two lads from Delhi who have had quite a storied history between the both of them, were listed as the openers of the team.

Former Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting, was named as the one-drop batter. Punter was one of the chief individuals who brought about a wave of dominance combined with extreme aggressiveness within the internal system of the Aussies.

The middle-order comprised of former Pakistani and Bangladeshi captains and legendary all-rounders of their respective sides, who were also known for their flaring tempers. The latter, who is still an active ingredient of Bangladesh cricket, still manages to get in the limelight for his extreme bouts of anger which he displays at times.

Other than himself, Sreesanth included Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar in the lineup. The two of them had a heated rivalry during their prime, and constantly took subtle digs at each other whenever the arch-rivals would lock horns against each other.

Kieron Pollard was the sole West Indian on the list. As fun-loving as he was and is, the monstrous cricketer was an absolute menace for anyone who caught strays with him on the field. Andre Nel, the ex-Proteas bowler with whom Sreesanth had had a passionate exchange while the former was bowling to the latter, also found himself in Sreesanth's XI.

Sreesanth's dream lineup also featured former India spinner Harbhajan Singh and Pakistan's pacer Shoaib Akhtar also known as "Rawalpindi Express", two legendary cricketers who had a storied and aggressive history during their playing days.

Former India pacer Sreesanth formed a 'Calmest' All-Time XI in which he ironically he decided to pick all aggressive players in his team.

The World Cup-winning paceman named former India skipper, Sourav Ganguly, as his team's captain. Ganguly, iconically also famous for his overboard celebration from the balcony of the Indian dressing room at the Lord's, after India defeated England in 2002 in the NatWest series.

Sreesanth chose two players from Delhi- star batter Virat Kohli and now India head coach Gautam Gambhir- as openers of his team. Kohli and Gambhir have quite a storied history between them as both players are aggressive on the field.

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"With Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli will open. Ricky Ponting at No.3 with Sourav Ganguly at two down. Ganguly will be the captain while Ponting is the vice-captain. Shahid Afridi. How can I forget Shakib Al Hasan, he does not even leave the umpires. Then Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Shoaib Akhtar and Andre Nel. At No. 11, the one and only Sreesanth. How can I leave myself out from any playing XI," Sreesanth told Sportskeeda.

The former India pacer then named Australia's ex-captain Ricky Ponting as vice-captain. Ponting also known as Punter was instrumental in shaping Australia's formidable cricket dynasty and his approach redefined the team's internal dynamics and propelled them to greatness.

The 41-year-old boasted a trio of former captains and iconic all-rounders from Pakistan and Bangladesh, infamous for their short fuses. One of these individuals, still a prominent figure in Bangladesh cricket, remains prone to intense anger, which occasionally grabs attention and puts him in the spotlight.

Windies all-rounder Kieron Pollard was the sole West Indian on the list. Sreesanth's dream lineup also featured former India spinner Harbhajan Singh and Pakistan's pacer Shoaib Akhtar also known as "Rawalpindi Express", two legendary cricketers who had a storied and aggressive history during their playing days.

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Sreesanth also included Andre Nel, the former South African pacer despite their infamous on-field altercation during the 2006 Johannesburg Test. Nel had been bowling to Sreesanth when the two engaged in a heated exchange, but Sreesanth has apparently put aside their past animosity to select him for his XI.

Former Indian fast bowler Sreesanth formed an all-time playing XI featuring the good boys of cricket. Interestingly, Sreesanth, who was known for his aggression, decided to pick all aggressive players in his team.

In an interview with Sportskeeda Cricket, Sreesanth picked 11 players for his calmest XI. He started the team by picking Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli as the two openers.

Next in his team was former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who was known for sledging his opponents. Sourav Ganguly joined Ponting in the team as the captain, followed by all-rounders Shahid Afridi and Shakib Al Hasan, who have lost their cool on several occasions while on the field.

Shakib has shown his anger multiple times in domestic games as well. A video went viral from a domestic game in Bangladesh, where the star all-rounder kicked the stumps when he was unhappy with the umpire's LBW call. Also, he uprooted the stumps and threw in front of the umpire during the same tournament.

Former West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard added more firepower to the calmest XI formed by Sreesanth. To complete the XI, the former Indian fast bowler added spinner Harbhajan Singh, who infamously slapped him during the inaugural IPL season.

Sreesanth then picked himself in the team, adding Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar and South Africa's Andre Nel to support him in the pace department.

It is pertinent to note that Akhtar and Harbhajan had a heated exchange during a match between India and Pakistan in Asia Cup 2010. Before that, Sreesanth and Nel had an aggressive battle in a Test between India and South Africa, where the former ended up hitting him for a six.

Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting (vc), Sourav Ganguly (c), Shahid Afridi, Shakib Al Hasan, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Shoaib Akhtar, Andre Nel and Sreesanth.

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir have shared the cricket field many times, including being part of India’s victorious 2011 World Cup squad. Both players hail from Delhi and began their careers with the state team. In addition to their common background, both Kohli and Gambhir are known for their aggressive approach on the field, often expressing their opinions boldly.

Recently, former Indian pacer Sreesanth picked an interesting all-time XI of ‘calmest’ players, which ironically featured both Kohli and Gambhir, despite their reputations for being hot-headed.During an appearance on Sportskeeda, Sreesanth was asked to create an all-time XI of composed players. He humorously selected several cricketers who are famously known for their fiery temperaments. His team had Kohli and Gambhir opening the innings, followed by Ricky Ponting at No.3 and Sourav Ganguly at No.4, who was also named captain. The team included Shahid Afridi, Shakib Al Hasan, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Shoaib Akhtar, Andre Nel, and Sreesanth himself, who couldn’t resist putting himself in the lineup.Although Kohli and Gambhir have had well-publicized on-field clashes, Gambhir has always emphasized his respect for Kohli. “What kind of relationship do I share with Virat? It’s between two mature individuals. On the field, we have the right to fight for our jersey, but we also have a shared responsibility to represent India and make the country proud,” Gambhir remarked after becoming the coach of the Indian cricket team.Piyush Chawla, who has played alongside both cricketers, recounted a memorable incident. He shared, “I was doing a show with Gauti bhai, and someone asked which bowler Virat took a single off to complete his 50th century. I didn’t know, but Gambhir did. He joked, ‘Now don’t say there’s any tiff.’ Gauti bhai is all class and one of the best.”