T20 World Cup 2021: India's Predicted Playing XI For The First T20I vs Pakistan

T20 World Cup 2021: India’s Predicted Playing XI For The First T20I vs Pakistan. The BCCI, on Wednesday, announced India’s 15-member squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 which is all set to take place from October 17-November 15 in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Team India will be facing arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening fixture of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 on October 24 in Dubai. The high-voltage drama is being poised as the Greatest Game of the Tournament as the two sides in world cricket haven’t locked horns since the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The 15-member squad picked by the BCCI includes the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar among many others. However, the Men in Blue look one of the most predating poachers for the T20 World Cup 2021 title.

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Since the opening game of the India National Cricket Team will have all eyeballs of the world, let’s take a look at the predicted playing XI of team India for the first game of the T20 World Cup 2021 against Pakistan.

T20 World Cup 2021: India’s Predicted Playing XI For The First T20I vs Pakistan

Rohit Sharma (vc)

One of the most prolific all-format openers in modern-day cricket, Rohit Sharma, definitely would be the first choice opener for the Men in Blue going into the World Cup and in the game. The Mumbaikar has 5 IPL titles to his name as a captain and in total, he has 6 IPL titles to his name as a player.

One of the very few batsmen to have scored a century in all three formats, Rohit Sharma comes with a bag of 4 T20I tons to his name and a Strike Rate of 138.96 and he will surely be one of India’s massive destruction weapons not only against Pakistan but in the entire tournament.

KL Rahul

Another very important batsman in the entire Indian batting lineup, KL Rahul, has been one of the nation’s most successful batsmen in the last couple of years across all the formats. In 2020, KL Rahul ended up being the nation’s top scorer across all the formats. His year was also decorated with the Orange Cap of the IPL 2020 edition.

In IPL 2021 too, he was just behind Shikhar Dhawan in the top-scorers list until the tournament came to a standstill. However, the former’s massive drop in form in the T20 format in the international circuit paved the way for Rahul’s selection and now, he looks set to open alongside Rohit Sharma.

Virat Kohli (c)

India’s captain for all seasons, Virat Kohli, has been the biggest name in world cricket in the last decade. The only current batsman to own an average of 50 plus across all formats, Virat Kohli will come as the biggest threat for all the oppositions in the T20 World Cup 2021. The flamboyant Indian skipper has 28 half-centuries to his name with a strike rate of 139.04 in the format.

The only pressure on Virat will be to remove the Choker jinx which he has attached ever since assuming India’s captaincy in the limited-overs format.

Suryakumar Yadav

The best Indian batsman against spin presently, Suryakumar Yadav, has been one of the biggest revelations in Indian cricket over the last couple of years. The young batsman’s presence became so vital to the Indian team that he was selected ahead of Shreyas Iyer, India’s regular number 4 batsman across limited-overs format in the last couple of years.

Not only does Suryakumar score runs, but he scores runs at a devastating pace in the middle-overs against spinners which makes him one of the biggest threats for any opposition. So far, Surya has donned the national jersey four times in the T20 format and he has scored runs at an average of 46.33 and a strike rate of 169.51 and 2 fifties to his name.

Rishabh Pant (wk)

If flamboyancy had to have a synonym in world cricket, Rishabh Pant would be the perfect match. The young wicketkeeper-batsman, who is only 23 years old, has already reverse-lapped James Anderson and Jofra Archer in his young career, a milestone some players can only dream of achieving in their entire career.

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Rishabh Pant’s attacking prowess is among one of the most destructive when it comes to limited-overs cricket. A batsman who plays with the minds of the bowlers and the opposition, Rishabh Pant, will be one of the nation’s greatest assets as they set sight on their major ICC trophy win since 2013.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya’s inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad was one of the major talking points in the Indian cricketing circuit till the time the squad was picked. Ever since Hardik caught up with injuries after the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, he has failed to make a mark in the IPL and for the national team too.

Hardik has struggled quite a lot with physical discomfort, so much so, that the all-rounder seemed to complete his 4-overs quota in the IPL and for team India. However, he has assured the management that he is completely fit for the format and if he goes on to play the knock that he played against Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, team India might well avenge the defeat this time around.

Ravindra Jadeja

One of the most improved players in the current Indian setup, Ravindra Jadeja has lit the world in the last couple of years with his contribution to the team in all aspects and across all the formats. Ravindra Jadeja proves to be the perfect answer for the question that MSK Prasad loves to ask, ‘Who is India’s 3D player?’

Be it batting, bowling, or fielding, Ravindra Jadeja has given his 100 percent in terms of commitment and fitness to be available for the Men in Blue across all formats. In the last couple of years, his batting has improvized significantly and if India witnesses an early fallout, Jadeja might well prove to be their savior lower down the order.

Ravichandran Ashwin

One of the biggest surprising inclusions in the Indian squad for T20 World Cup 2021 was Ravichandran Ashwin. The inclusion not only surprised the fans but the player himself as his reaction after being picked said it all. Now that the veteran has been selected, MS Dhoni, the mentor, will like to take full use of Ravichandran Ashwin, the veteran.

Although Ashwin hasn’t donned the Indian colors in the T20 format since 2018, he was one of the trickiest spinners to tackle for all the batsmen throughout his stint in IPL 2020 when the tournament took place in the UAE. His contribution with the bat also counts significantly, Thus, Ashwin can surely spin the web around the opposition on the turning UAE wickets.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The swing-king of India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, will once again be India’s trump cards heading into the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Bhuvneshwar easily has to be the most disciplined bowler not only in the modern-day era but for all time. He will be key for India to conceal runs not only in the opening powerplay but also in the middle-overs.

Bhuvneshwar is a veteran of this Indian setup, having played 50 T20Is and having picked 51 wickets in the format with a staggering average of 25.1 and a strike rate of 21.82.

Rahul Chahar

Rahul Chahar’s significance in the Indian side can be proven by the fact that he has been picked ahead of India’s most successful spin bowler in the limited-overs format in the last couple of years, Yuzvendra Chahal. The reason behind Chahar’s inclusion has been his scintillating performance for his IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians.

He already has a 3-wicket haul to his name for the Indian team in just five matches he has played so far for the Men in Blue. In 37 IPL innings, Rahul Chahar has picked 41 wickets with a strike rate of 19.76. His strike rate in Indian colours is even more baffling as he drops to a strike rate of 15.43.

Jasprit Bumrah

India’s deadliest fast bowler in world cricket, Jasprit Bumrah, clearly means business. Shattering all the bowling records for team India across all formats for the Men in Blue, Jasprit Bumrah has wreaked havoc in world cricket. In only 49 T20Is to his name, Jasprit Bumrah has already picked 59 T20I wickets to his name.

One of the major reasons behind Mumbai Indians’ success in the IPL has been Jasprit Bumrah. In 99 IPL matches, Bumrah has a total of 115 wickets to his name in the cash-rich league and he will be one of Virat Kohli’s go-to man as he will look to conceal runs and pick wickets in the slog overs for team India.