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India’s T20I captain Shreyas Iyer has made some interesting picks while comparing the current T20I squad with India’s famous 2007 T20 World Cup campaign.
Ahead of the five-match T20I series against the West Indies, Shreyas Iyer selected players he feels can repeat some of the biggest moments from India’s first T20 World Cup triumph. Amid this, India fans face travel problems ahead of the 1st T20I due to waterlogging in Lucknow.
Shreyas Iyer names Tilak Varma for Gautam Gambhir’s role after 2 big knocks against Pakistan
Shreyas Iyer has picked Tilak Varma as the current Indian batter most likely to produce a match-winning performance like Gautam Gambhir did in the 2007 T20 World Cup final.
The current Indian head coach’s knock helped India reach 157/5 before they defended the total and won the match by five runs against Pakistan. Tilak has already shown that he can handle pressure in big matches.
Iyer’s choice of Tilak Varma to play Gambhir is interesting because the young left-hander has already delivered with the bat under pressure.
Tilak recently played a brilliant unbeaten 51 off just 22 balls as India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the 2026 Asian Games final to clinch the gold medal in Japan. Last year, the Hyderabad batter also played an important knock against Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup final.
Tilak scored an unbeaten 69 during a tense chase and helped India get over the line. These performances make him a natural choice for the Gambhir role in Iyer’s comparison.
Shreyas Iyer picks Shivam Dube to repeat Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes heroics
Interestingly, Iyer has picked Shivam Dube as the player who could repeat Yuvraj Singh’s famous six sixes in an over from the 2007 T20 World Cup.
The legendary all-rounder created history against England when he hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in one over and hit a half-century in only 12 balls.
Dube is also known for his power hitting, especially against spinners during the middle overs. The tall left-hander has already hit 71 sixes in 79 T20I matches. Amid this, Ravichandran Ashwin snubs Ravindra Jadeja, naming India's best spin-bowling all-rounder.
Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma among Iyer’s picks for 2007-style bowl-out
For the famous India-Pakistan bowl-out from the 2007 T20 World Cup group stage, Iyer picked five current Indian players: Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Yash Thakur, and himself.
The original match had ended in a tie before India won the five-ball bowl-out. The T20I captain also selected Bumrah for the final over of the 2007 T20 World Cup final, which was bowled by Joginder Sharma.
Joginder held his nerve with Pakistan needing 13 runs from the last over and helped India seal a memorable five-run victory to lift the trophy.
Shreyas Iyer picks Axar Patel to recreate Irfan Pathan’s 2007 T20 World Cup heroics
Iyer picked Axar Patel for Irfan Pathan’s match-winning bowling performance from the 2007 T20 World Cup final. Pathan was one of the key performers for India, as the all-rounder scalped 3/16 in his four overs. His spell played a key role in India successfully defending against Pakistan.
The first T20I between India and the West Indies will be played on Tuesday, October 6, in Kanpur.
