After hammering the West Indies in the recently concluded One Day International (ODI) series, Rohit Sharma-led Team India side is expected to continue their dominant run in the upcoming three-match T20I operas against the Kieron Pollard-led side. Under the leadership of skipper Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid, India will rebuild its squad for the forthcoming edition of the ICC World T20 2022 in Australia.

With a packed calendar lined up for the hosts, the Rohit-led side is expected to make the most of their star-studded squad in the ongoing season. Indian cricketers and T20I specialists enjoyed a massive payday at the mega auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the new season. IPL teams opted to break the bank for star players Shardul Thakur and Shreyas Iyer at the mega auction of the cash-rich league. 

Even though Iyer and Shardul secured lucrative deals ahead of the new season, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has snubbed the star players while picking India’s predicted playing XI for the series opener against the West Indies. Predicting India’s playing XI for the 1st T20I against the West Indies in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra backed Ishan Kisan to open the innings with skipper Rohit. Chopra named Virat Kohli as India’s No.3 batter in the lineup.

The former Indian opener opted to leave out Iyer and Shardul from India’s playing XI for the 1st T20I. “I am playing Pant at No. 4. I can play Shreyas Iyer also here but I will say play Pant because you are anyway wanting a left-right combination. But then I will not play Iyer at No. 5, I am playing Suryakumar Yadav. After that, I am going with Venkatesh Iyer,” Chopra added. 

Chopra backed youngster Ravi Bishnoi to join forces with Yuzvendra Chahal for the 1st T20I. The former Indian cricketer completed his Team India playing XI for the 1st T20I by picking Deepak Chahar and Bhvneshwar Kumar as the two premier fast-bowling options for the hosts.