Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer took to Twitter to share his predicted Team India playing XI for the first of the three T20Is against Sri Lanka which will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on January 3, 2023.
India will be captained by Hardik Pandya with Suryakumar Yadav being his deputy as senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, along with KL Rahul have been rested for this series. The selection committee has hinted that the Indian team in the T20I format will have a new look.
While sharing his predicted Indian XI, Jaffer had Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill named as the openers, followed by Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Hardik Pandya in the middle order. Deepak Hooda is the designated finisher.
Akshar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Washington Sundar have been picked as the spinners in the XI. The fast bowlers chosen by Jaffer for this first T20I in Mumbai are Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh.
Also speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Jaffer said that T20 cricket might not be Umran Malik's best format and he hoped to see Harshal Patel make a comeback into the Indian side.
"I hope Harshal Patel finds a way to make a comeback. Umran Malik may not have T20 cricket as his best format, but nonetheless, he is an exciting talent and this is an exciting season before the IPL," Jaffer said.
Jaffer explained his decision to omit Umran Malik from his XI saying that the experience of Harshal pipped the pace of Malik.
"I was tempted to include Umran Malik in my XI because you would like to have a pacer who bowls at 145-150 clicks. But Harshal Patel gives you that experience and also gives depth in batting. You also have Hardik as your this seamer and then have 3-4 all-rounders that give you better balance," Jaffer explained in ESPNCricinfo.
