Reetinder Singh Sodhi Picks Team India's Squad For T20 World Cup 2021

Former Indian stumper Reetinder Singh Sodhi has banked on experience rather than youth while picking Team India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Despite having a poor outing in the recent series against India, Sodhi picked veteran southpaw Shikhar Dhawan as India’s backup opener to KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma for the quadrennial event.

“Shikhar Dhawan on experience. We need experience for a mega event, the T20 World Cup. Ishan Kishan is a very talented player but I feel Shikhar Dhawan can prove to be more useful. So you take him as a reserve opener and get KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma to open.” said Reetinder Singh Sodhi on India News.

Sodhi also picked Mohammed Siraj and Shreyas Iyer for the T20 World Cup.

Shreyas Iyer hasn’t played a competitive game since injuring his shoulder back in March. He will have to prove his fitness during the IPL to warrant a place in the squad.

“If we talk about bowlers, Mohammed Siraj has set the stage on fire. He bowls amazingly well and has the experience as well. If we talk about Shreyas Iyer, he is a match-winner. He has played international cricket and won innumerable matches in the IPL.” said Sodhi.

When asked about the thought process behind picking experience over youth, Reetinder Singh Sodhi said that having experienced campaigners will hold the team in good stead during pressure situations in the marquee event.

“My opinion is you can take the youngsters but they have to be backed by experience because there will be a lot of adrenaline rush in this tournament and only experienced players can handle the pressure,” said Sodhi.

The former stumper acknowledged that Shikhar Dhawan did not have the best of time in Lanka with the bat but he has backed the southpaw to regain his form during the second leg of the OLL

”A lot can change after the IPL. We are talking about Bhuvneshwar and Shikhar Dhawan, they have not done anything special. But we all know they are match-winners. They can be the ultimate selection if they catch form in the IPL.” he said.

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Reetinder Singh Sodhi’s India squad for T20 World Cup 2021-

Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal