Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has named his India playing XI for the upcoming blockbuster encounter against Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 which will be played on October 23rd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
India will look to take revenge for the last year’s defeat in the same tournament. The Men in Blue will miss the services of injured Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja in the tournament but the selectors have picked a strong team from the best options available.
The Men in Blue are coming into this tournament with impressive T20I series wins over Australia and South Africa. India has played two practice matches against Western Australia, winning one and losing one, while defeated defending world champs Australia in the first official warmup match on October 17 in Brisbane.
Now Harbhajan Singh has revealed his preferred team India XI for the Pakistan clash which had five batters, one all-rounder, two spinners, and three pacers.
“I feel the team is straightforward. I feel Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, and Axar Patel will be in the team. Yuzi Chahal will play along with them. After that Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammad Shami," Harbhajan Singh told Star Sports.
Harbhajan, however, kept Rishabh Pant, Harshal Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Deepak Hooda, out of his chosen XI.
“This is my choice. Harshal Patel might not get a chance. I feel Deepak Hooda and R Ashwin will not get a chance in the first few games. I am seeing this as the starting XI. I don’t think R Ashwin will get a chance because the batting looks slightly long with Axar Patel’s presence. If Axar Patel doesn’t play, you cannot depend so much on R Ashwin’s batting in T20Is, he is good in the longest format," he added.
The former off-spinner had rich praise for pacer Mohammad Shami, who impressed on his T20I comeback with three wickets in one over against Australia in the warmup match.
“Shami getting fit is a good sign for the Indian team. The style of bowler he is, experience matters a lot on the big stage. Shami’s role becomes even bigger with Bumrah not being there. We hope that he lives up to those expectations," he said.
Harbhajan Singh’s India XI for the Pakistan match:
Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Akshar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami
