Saqlain Mushtaq, former Pakistan spinner, has unveiled his joint India-Pakistan T20I XI and surprisingly snubbed MS Dhoni in his choices. Saqlain Mushtaq picked the best of the players from both India and Pakistan, who have excelled in T20I cricket.
He chose Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam to open the innings for his joint Ind-Pak T20I XI. They are two of the leading run-getters in the format and Rohit Sharma has 5 T20i centuries to his name, while Babar Azam has 3 T20I tons as well.
At no.3, Saqlain Mushtaq chose Virat Kohli, who is the second-highest run-getter in T20I history and along with Rohit Sharma, retired from T20Is after India won the T20 World Cup 2024 in June recently. Mohammad Rizwan, one of the best for Pakistan in T20I cricket was picked to bat at no.4 by Mushtaq in his joint Ind-Pak XI.
Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant chosen over Hardik Pandya and Shahid Afridi in Saqlain Mushtaq’s special team
Aside from these four players, the Playing XI features Suryakumar Yadav, a 360-degree player who can strike the ball anywhere on the ground. Suryakumar has outstanding numbers in T20 cricket and is an important member of the T20I team. He is also the current captain of India’s Twenty20 International team.
Meanwhile, Saqlain Mushtaq’s XI has made room for Rishabh Pant, who returned to international cricket in the T20 World Cup 2024. The Men in Blue won the T20 World Cup in June of this year, Pant’s first event since his return.
Shadab Khan’s participation is surprising given his recent performance with both bat and ball. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah constitute a dangerous fast bowling attack.
Ravindra Jadeja, the Indian allrounder who retired from T20Is following this year’s T20 World Cup victory, has been named the specialist spinner in Saqlain Mushtaq’s playing XI. Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s renowned off-spinner, is the 12th man in this lineup.
The biggest surprise in Saqlain Mushtaq’s Playing XI was the absence of Hardik Pandya and Shahid Afridi. Both of them are quite powerful with the bat and the ball, and they can influence the game on their own.
Hardik has often demonstrated how important he is to India’s white-ball plans. He is a great finisher who can also contribute as a specialty bowler, taking wickets at regular intervals. He was critical to India’s success in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Saqlain Mushtaq selected the current India-Pakistan playing T20I XI– Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam, Virat Kohli, Mohammad Rizwan, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shadab Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Ravichandran Ashwin (12th player).
Also Read: Pakistan Playing XI For 1st Test vs England Announced; Shaheen Afridi Returns