Irfan Pathan predicts India's playing XI for the 20-20 World Cup 2022

With the five-match T20 series against South Africa done and dusted, India is now aiming at the upcoming 20-20 World Cup. While the event is a few months away, the discussion about India's squad has already begun. Veterans and game experts have begun to weigh in, and former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was among the first ones to name his strongest India XI for the big tournament. Australia will host the 20-20 World Cup later this year.

While some players are very certain to be in the mix for India, several spots remain open. The biggest question is about the opening spot. India may select between the experience of KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan. The other important question that stands is what will be the bowling combination. The former all-rounder has now answered all these questions.

Irfan picked the experience of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli as the top three. "In Australia, you need powerful starts because the ball swings and seams a lot. So you need a player who has a lot of experience," he told Star Sports.

While Kohli's recent run of form in the shorter format has been an area of concern, Irfan supported the former India captain, given his track record of scoring big runs in Australia. "Kohli may not have performed well so far but in Australia, he has scored a lot of runs," he added.

Suryakumar Yadav was Irfan's fourth position batter, followed by Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, and Ravindra Jadeja.

Karthik, according to him, will be the wicket-keeper in the team. He also named Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in his bowling attack. Star players like Rishabh Pant, Avesh Khan, and Mohammad Shami failed to make into his team.

Irfan Pathan's India XI for the 20-20 World Cup 2022

KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah