Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan has picked Varun Chakravarthy over Kuldeep Yadav in his playing XI for the first T20I against Australia in Canberra, which is scheduled to be played on Wednesday. Kuldeep’s
inclusion in teams across formats has been one of the most discussed topics over the past few months.
Irfan named the same top six that featured in the Asia Cup, including the all-rounders in the form of Axar Patel and Shivam Dube.
With Hardik Pandya out injured and Aussie conditions demanding pace bowling, Irfan included all three frontline pacers present in the team: Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
“Harshit Rana’s cameo in the second ODI would have given the Indian team management a lot of confidence. So if he plays at No.8, India have their order till No.7 sorted, with two all-rounders in Dube and Axar, who can give you at least 6 overs. Then you can also play 2 pacers in Arshdeep and Jasprit, but who will that ne frontline spinner be,” Irfan questioned while speaking on his YouTube channel.
With just one slot remaining and two frontline spinners in contention, Irfan preferred Chakravarthy over Kuldeep.
“I am thinking towards Chakaravarthy because he can bowl a couple of overs in the powerplay as well, if needed. India also need that bit of a mystery factor in their playing XI,” Irfan said.
Irfan Pathan’s Playing XI for 1st T20I vs Australia
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy
Irfan feels that the in-form India have a big opportunity to record a historic series victory over Australia to make a strong statement during the build-up to the T20 World Cup.
India have a dominant record Down Under when it comes to T20I bilateral affairs.
