Former India spearhead Zaheer Khan has picked Rishabh Pant as the sole wicketkeeper in his team for the T20 World Cup, while handing his international debut to left-arm seamer Yash Dayal to add a new dimension to the attack. One of Zaheer's most interesting selections was 26-year-old Dayal, who represents Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League. When putting together his selection, he took Mohammed Shami's injury layoff into account.
“When I talk about Yash Dayal, it is a floating spot when the 15 are announced as Mohammed Shami will not be available for the tournament.
“He is a bowler and if you need someone to bowl, you have Yash Dayal. If you want a back-end bowler and if Siraj's form is irregular, he can be used there too,” Zaheer told Jio Cinema.
Zaheer also selected Delhi Capitals captain Pant as the only wicketkeeper in his squad, overlooking others like Sanju Samson, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan.
“Rishabh Pant is my only wicketkeeper. I have given more importance to bringing in four-pace bowlers. You don't want to sacrifice a fast bowler for another wicketkeeper. You have options like KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, and many want to see Dinesh Karthik.
“Right now we can also consider Mahendra Singh Dhoni because of his strike rate! I think they will focus on current players like Samson, KL Rahul and maybe even Jitesh Sharma.
“If you're putting together a team for a month-long tournament, your traveling reserve could be your wicketkeeper.”
Zaheer named 16 players in his squad, with the caveat that only one player between Gujarat Titans' captain Shubman Gill and Rajasthan Royals' opener Yashasvi Jaiswal will be selected as Rohit Sharma's opening partner.
“The toughest decision the selectors will have to make is choosing one opener from two great options. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, I think only one of them will make it because the think tank will want flexibility in the team.
“A player cannot be limited to just one role; he may have to change the batting order.”
Zaheer Khan's Indian squad for the T20 World Cup:
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill/Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh
All-rounders: Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja
Wicketkeeper: Rishabh Pant
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Dayal, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal.
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