Indian cricket team will kick-off their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign with a clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24. They have named a solid squad for the tournament, and picking the right playing XI won't be easy with a lot of players making a strong case for themselves.
Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel has shared his picks for the playing XI ahead of the high-voltage match against Pakistan. He feels that the team management will have to make a call between Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Shardul Thakur.
Speaking on a show in Star Sports, Parthiv said, "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", he added.
Team India played their first warm-up match of the T20 World Cup 2021 against England and won the match by 7 wickets. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan smashed 70 runs, and KL Rahul scored a 24-ball 51.
While Bhuvneshwar conceded runs at an economy of 13.50 in four overs, Jasprit Bumrah picked up 1 wicket and gave only 26 runs, and Mohammed Shami bagged three wickets for 40 runs.
