As the much anticipated India Vs Pakistan game is coming closer and closer in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022, Indian fans are debating the team selection and a lot of Indian fans are wondering what playing XI the team management will eventually pick for the big game.
Although there are certain players who are guaranteed selections in the playing XI, a couple of spots are still not guaranteed to anyone and the possibility remains open that India might make a couple of surprising inclusions in the playing XI.
Here are the 2 surprise selections that India might make for the game against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2022 –
Deepak Hooda
The Indian team management seems to be very clear about their top 6. Rohit, Rahul, Virat, and Suryakumar are the guaranteed selections, while Hardik Pandya is the only genuine all-rounder in the squad. India also seems to have made a decision about their first-choice wicketkeeper and that seems to be Dinesh Karthik.
Now the only decision that they have to make is whether they play an extra batsman in Deepak Hooda at no. 7 or they simply have an all-rounder in Axar Patel at no. 7 and play an extra bowler instead.
Hooda also provides India with a bowling option apart from his batting abilities, but his bowling might not be as potent as a specialist bowler. However, if India wants batting depth, they can go with Hooda, can slot Axar at no. 8, and leave out their specialist off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Keep ticking your boxes ✅ pic.twitter.com/jTgNSWbKQK
Advertisement— Deepak Hooda (@HoodaOnFire) October 17, 2022
Mohammed Shami
Before the first warm-up match that India played against Australia at Gabba, India’s three first-choice fast bowlers were likely to be Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshal Patel, but the way Mohammed Shami bowled in the death overs in that warm-up game against the hosts, he has brought himself into contention as well.
If India decides to play Shami, then they will have to decide who they want to leave out and in that scenario, it will be a choice between Arshdeep and Harshal. Although Arshdeep has been largely consistent in the few opportunities that he has got, Harshal’s ability to bat a bit down the order might go in his favor and he might be India’s third seamer along with Bhuvneshwar and Shami in the first game of T20 World Cup 2022.
