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'Virat and Surya will follow them': Zaheer Khan picks India's 15 for T20 WC, omits star batsman
With India having played its last set of T20I matches before the World Cup, the IPL is all that remains between now and the selection of their World Cup squad.
The T20 World Cup is less than three months away but discussion regarding what India’s composition is going to be for the ICC global event has already gained momentum. With India having played its last set of T20I matches before the World Cup, the IPL is all that remains between now and the selection of their World Cup squad.
Keeping this in mind, former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan is convinced what his pick for the T20 World Cup is. Surprisingly, in Zaheer's squad, left-handed batsman Shikhar Dhawan found no place as he went ahead with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma as openers, followed by Virat Kohli at No. 3 and Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4.
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"I will open with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. Virat and Surya will follow them. I know Virat has made the statement that he wants to open the innings. But I would still say that Virat only opens in case Hardik is not available to bowl. In that scenario, you can sacrifice one batsman and get an extra bowler," Zaheer said on Cricbuzz
As far as the bowling combination goes, given the fact that the T20 World Cup is going to be played in Oman and the UAE, Zaheer stressed on the importance of spin. While Zaheer threw his weight behind Yuzvendra Chahal, he did not find a place for chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, and instead feels that mystery spinner Varun Chakravarty could be a handy addition.
"I have Chahal as the lead leg spinner and also went in with Rahul Chahar as his backup. In this format, we have seen that leg spinner is such a crucial factor. Chakravarthy/Sundar will be the spinners, who will be bowling with the new ball. If you want that mystery element, you can choose Chakravarthy, but otherwise, you can go in with Sundar as well," said Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan's 15-man India squad for T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar, T Natarajan/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Washington Sundar/Varun Chakravarthy
