Aakash Chopra Picks His Team Of T20 World Cup 2022; Only 2 Indians Included

Only two Indian players were included in Aakash Chopra’s best XI for the T20 World Cup in 2022. 

On Sunday, November 13, England defeated Pakistan in Melbourne’s championship match by a margin of five wickets. The competition saw some incredible individual performances, with Sam Curran emerging as the most successful bowler from the Super 12 stage and Virat Kohli finishing as the greatest run-scorer. 

Jos Buttler To Lead Aakash Chopra’s Team Of The Tournament

Aakash Chopra recommended England’s openers to bat at the top of the order in a video posted on his YouTube channel, stating: 

“He is my team’s captain and I think he is everyone’s team’s captain. His name is Jos Buttler. He is the captain, wicketkeeper, the opening batter and he is the flag bearer of how batting needs to be done in T20 cricket, how to revolutionize white-ball cricket.” 

The former Indian opener added: 

“His partner is Alex Hales. The World Cup was not good for openers. Alex Hales, interestingly enough, was not part of this tournament. He came as Jonny Bairstow’s replacement and then came and shone.” 

Aakash Chopra explained why he selected Virat Kohli to bat at No. 3: 

“There is no debate on who is at No. 3. It is Virat Kohli, he had to be there. He scored the most runs in this World Cup. The strike rate in the initial stages of his innings might not have been great but after that acceleration, finishing the job, he has been very, very good.” 

The other Indian player to find a spot on Chopra’s team was Suryakumar Yadav. Chopra noticed: 

“Suryakumar Yadav is at No. 4. His best knock came against South Africa in Perth. India were 29/5 and were struggling and he came and just hit. He doesn’t bother who is there with him, how is the pitch, plays slightly high-risk cricket, you can only do that if you are in great mental space.” 

Glenn Phillips was the lone New Zealander chosen by Chopra for his team. He declared: 

“At No. 5, the guy who is coming to bat is Glenn Phillips. He scored a century when New Zealand were 15/3, batted amazingly well from there, and then scored runs again as well. T20 format – the number at which he bats, it’s not easy, but his batting was excellent.” 

With 201 runs, Phillips led the Black Caps in scoring during the competition. In the first match of the Super 12 stage, he took a sensational catch to dismiss Marcus Stonis while also scoring runs at a fantastic strike rate of 158.26. 

Aakash Chopra’s Picks Of All-rounders And Bowlers In His Best XI Of The T20 World Cup 2022 

Aakash Chopra chose Pakistan’s Shadab Khan as a spin-bowling all-rounder to bat at No. 6. He elaborated: 

“At No. 6, Shadab Khan, he has been good. Leg-spin bowling – he bowled very well, including the finals. You remember the South Africa knock in batting. To be fair, if you have to choose the all-rounder of the tournament, it is Shadab Khan.” 

Sikandar Raza, a spin-bowling all-rounder from Zimbabwe, gained a spot in the renowned commentator’s team. The latter stated: 

“Sikandar Raza is at No. 7. His numbers also include the ones before Super 12 because he came after playing the qualifiers. So the numbers look slightly better but the player is good. He picks up wickets with the ball and has played important knocks with the bat.” 

Sam Curran was Aakash Chopra’s lone seam-bowling all-rounder in his starting lineup. He observed: 

“I am going to pick four fast bowlers. Sam Curran is at No. 8. He also bats, he is the official Player of the Tournament. The specialty in his bowling is that he used the grounds very well, he knew the dimensions of the ground.” 

Anrich Nortje, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mark Wood were chosen as the three specialist pacers in this fictitious team by the former cricketer-turned-analyst Aakash Chopra. He explained: 

Now I am going towards three proper fast bowlers. Anrich Nortje – it’s a disappointment his team could not go ahead. After that, I have picked Shaheen Shah Afridi. He started slowly, eventually got injured but the job he did in the middle. The last player I am picking is Mark Wood – played few matches but did amazingly well in them. 

Aakash Chopra’s best XI of the T20 World Cup 2022: Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Glenn Phillips, Shadab Khan, Sikandar Raza, Sam Curran, Anrich Nortje, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mark Wood 

Also Read:Shan Masood “Takes Blame” For Pakistan’s Lack Of A Strong Finish In T20 World Cup Final Vs England