With Virat Kohli-led Team India set to take on Pakistan in their opening match of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on Sunday, the experts have begun predicting names of players who should be a part of the playing XI. The selectors made only one change to the preliminary squad where bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur replaced Axar Patel.
One of the biggest talking points ahead of India’s opening match is the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. After a quiet show in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, Kumar conceded 54 runs in 4 overs in the warm-up match against England. Despite being added to the 15-man squad at the last moment, Thakur has made a case for his inclusion in the playing XI.
Former Indian cricketers Parthiv Patel and Ajit Agarkar shared their views on India’s playing XI and also opined on their pick between Bhuvneshwar and Shardul.
“I am sure Virat knows his playing XI and probably not the names, but I am sure he knows what combination he wants to go with. To me, the question will be, should you play Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Shardul Thakur. Probably Rohit Sharma & KL Rahul to open Virat at No.3, Suryakumar at No.4, Rishabh at No. 5, Hardik – even if he is not bowling, he is picked as someone who can finish the game – Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Shami, Bumrah and the last choice will be between Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar,” Patel said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
Despite being a senior pacer, Kumar looked off-colour in the warm-up tie against England which could open doors for Thakur’s inclusion in the playing XI. Sharing his views, Agarkar picked Thakur as one of the six bowlers if Hardik Pandya is not used as a bowling option by the team management.
“Relatively certain that Virat Kohli would like six bowling options. If the pitch has something to offer, then you can perhaps take a chance with five bowlers, but if it’s a flat pitch, he would ideally want to go in with six bowlers with three seamers and they have lots of spin options. And Jadeja is an all-rounder whose batting has come out in leaps and bounds. So, you can treat him as one of the top-order batsmen. So, my six options – if Hardik Pandya is not to bowl – would be Bumrah, Shami, Shardul, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar,” Agarkar added.
