Team India scripted a memorable win over arch-rivals Pakistan in their Super 12 clash of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Sunday. Chasing 160, India lost early wickets as Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel were dismissed within the first seven overs. Then star batter Virat Kohli rose to the occasion and smashed an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls and took Team India across the line, with four wickets in hand. Team India now will be going up against Netherlands in their next Group 2, Super 12, clash on Thursday. In the previous match, the Rohit Sharma-led side went with Axar Patel in the place of Yuzvendra Chahal. It will be interesting to see whether Chahal will get his place in the Playing XI against Netherlands, as Axar failed to deliver a good performance, both with bat and ball.
Here’s what we think should be India’s playing XI against Netherlands:
KL Rahul: The right-handed batter disappointed yet again as he got dismissed for 4 against Pakistan. But it is worth noting that he smashed 57 off 33 against Australia in the warm-up match of the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Rohit Sharma: The Indian skipper also failed to deliver a strong performance and also scored four against Pakistan. Rohit has not recorded big scores consistently, but he is known to provide a flying start at the top.
Virat Kohli: The batter came back to his vintage best in the previous match, as he smashed 82* off 53 balls and took Team India across the line. Kohli has shown his worth yet again in the game against Pakistan.
Suryakumar Yadav: The best T20I in the Indian line-up, according to ICC ranking, Suryakumar Yadav failed to score big against Pakistan and could manage only 15 runs. Despite all this, the No.3 ranked batter in ICC T20I rankings would hope to be the X-factor that the team desperately needs.
Hardik Pandya: The all-rounder has been in fine form with both with the bat and ball. Against Pakistan, Hardik scalped three wickets and also scored 40 runs to form a strong partnership with Virat Kohli.
Dinesh Karthik: The 37-year-old batter was chosen over Rishabh Pant in the match against Pakistan. He got to play only two balls and was dismissed after scoring one run. It will be interesting to see whether the management replaces him with Pant or not.
Ravichandran Ashwin: The experienced all-rounder bowled a decent spell after Axar Patel conceded 21 runs off his single over. Ashwin can be reliable player and will definitely have his place in the Playing XI.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The pacer scalped one wicket and conceded 22 runs in his four-over spell against Pakistan. With Arshdeep and Bhuvneshwar, Team India has a strong pace attack
Arshdeep Singh: The left-arm seamer impressed everyone when he dismissed Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the first four overs against Pakistan. Even though Arshdeep proved to be little costly in the 19th over, as he conceded 14 runs, he is one of the most reliable pacers for Team India.
Promoted
Mohammed Shami: He made a massive comeback to the T20I side when he scalped three wickets in one over against Australia in the warm-up match. Against Pakistan, he scaped one wicket and conceded 25 runs in four overs.
Yuzvendra Chahal: Leg-spinners have traditionally enjoyed bowling in Australian conditions but Chahal failed to get a spot in the Playing XI against Pakistan. As all-rounder Axar Patel proved to be really expensive, Team India might go with Chahal in his place.
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