Mohammad Kaif missed Rinku Singh, KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami in his T20 World Cup 2024 sqaud.
New Delhi: Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif revealed his predicted squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be played in USA and Canada. Team India will play their opener clash against Ireland in the USA on June 5.
However, Kaif misses out on wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul and Rinku Singh in his predicted squad for the marquee event.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal will open alongside Rohit Sharma. Then Virat Kohli at No. 3, Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4, Hardik Pandya at No. 5, and Rishabh Pant at No. 6,” Kaif said on Star Sports.
Kaif also missed Mohammed Shami who is currently on the road to recovery. Shami has not played any cricket match since India’s exit in the ODI World Cup in 2023.
“I will keep a lot of all-rounders because you need batting depth. So I will say Axar Patel at No. 7 and Ravindra Jadeja at No. 8. After that, Kuldeep Yadav, who is a skillful bowler, at No. 9. Then two fast bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. That makes it your XI,” Kaif explained.
“If I talk about the squad, you will take one more spinner. I feel you will have to keep Chahal. He brings the option of a leg-spinner. Ashwin went last time. He is not taking that many wickets this time (in the IPL). I believe Chahal is a very good bowler in those conditions where the ball will turn,” he reasoned.
“Then I will go with Shivam Dube. He is in great form and plays spin splendidly. He drives the game very well after six overs. I will take Riyan Parag’s name. He is playing exceptionally well and deserves to be in the squad. That makes it 14, plus I will take Mohammed Siraj’s name. Although he is not in form, he is an experienced bowler and has a fantastic overall record,” Kaif elaborated.