Irfan Pathan Names India’s Top 3 For T20 World Cup 2024, Chooses Batter With Better Strike Rate Than Chris Gayle
Former cricketer Irfan Pathan has chosen his top 3 batters for the Indian squad in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 tournament. The ICC event will take place in June, hosted by the West Indies and the USA.
The next few days in Indian cricket will be dominated by never-ending debates about the best possible combination for the T20 World Cup squad. As of now, there is only one sure-shot selection: Rohit Sharma, who was confirmed as captain by BCCI secretary Jay Shah earlier this year.
While the selection of a few other stars appears to be a formality, the Indian selectors will have to think outside the box because other players have regularly performed in the format at the international level as well as in the ongoing IPL 2024.
In the T20 World Cup 2024, India is clubbed with Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, and the USA in Group A and will open its campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York. The high-voltage match against Pakistan is scheduled to take place on June 9 in New York.
‘My Top 3 for India – Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli’: Irfan Pathan
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan on Tuesday (April 23) took to social media to pick India’s top 3 for the T20 World Cup 2024, which will be played in the USA and West Indies this year from June 1 to 29.
As per the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning all-rounder, India should open with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and irrespective of the noise around his strike rate, Virat Kohli should bat at No. 3.
Irfan Pathan also cut down speculation over Kohli’s strike rate, drawing parallels with the famous Chris Gayle, whose international strike rate (137.50) is practically identical to that of the former Indian captain (138.15).
Kohli, who is the only batter in the world to score more than 4000 runs in T20Is, has a strike rate of 138.15 in 117 T20Is, whereas Gayle finished his career with a strike rate of 137.50 in 79 matches.
“Now that World Cup is nearing. My top 3 for team India. 1) Rohit Sharma (in form as well as captain) 2) Yashasvi Jaiswal (been saying that he should be there even before his 100 purely cos he was performing well for team India before the ipl) 3) Virat Kohli. (Shouldn’t be any question regarding his place or strike rate. His strike rate at the T20I is 138 + Better than Chris Gayle+ 51 avg. N his ipl strike rate this season is 150) Your thoughts ????” Irfan Pathan posted on X.
Now that World Cup is nearing. My top 3 for team India.
1) Rohit Sharma (in form as well as captain)
2) Yashasvi Jaiswal (been saying that he should be there even before his 100 purely cos he was performing well for team India before the ipl)
3) Virat Kohli. (Shouldn’t be…
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 23, 2024
In the ongoing IPL 2024, Kohli has scored 379 runs in eight matches played so far, and his strike rate is 150.40.
