Combined Best India and Pakistan T20I XI

The tussle between the Indian and Pakistan cricketing fraternity has been an open secret. Their relationship has soured with the passage of time. However, the fact that they are two of the strongest teams in world cricket can’t be denied. Recently, both have shown their class in the T20 events. While the Men in Blue beat England in the three-match series, Pakistan won the tri-nation series in Zimbabwe. The teams are also neck and neck as far as rankings in the shortest format are concerned. Pakistan and India are ranked first and second respectively with a difference of eight rating points. What if their strongest players combine? The side is most certainly to thump the most formidable of lineups. In our article, we take you through the combined cricketing XI of the two countries in T20Is. Fakhar Zaman Fakhar Zaman. (Photo Source: Twitter) Fakhar has been in red-hot form lately. He bats at the top of the order and hardly has floundered for the Men in Green. In the recently concluded tri-nation series, the left-hander scored 278 runs in five matches and was the Player of the Match and the series as well. His knock of 91 runs also helped his team chase down a mammoth 184 runs versus Australia. He pulled his team out of the pit from 2-2 in the first over by Glenn Maxwell and then put on useful partnerships with Shoaib Malik and skipper Sarfraz Ahmed. Apart from his match-winning knock, he also had a couple more half-centuries. He was also the second highest run scorer in the tournament after Aaron Finch, who finished with 306 runs in five matches. Rohit Sharma Rohit Sharma of India celebrates reaching his century. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Rohit is a gun batsman for India in limited-overs cricket and he has manifested the same time and again. He is presently the only batsman in T20Is to score three centuries after New Zealand’s Colin Munro. He accomplished the feat yesterday in 56 balls at the County Ground in Bristol. He didn’t have the best of series’ with the willow, yet he finished as the leading run scorer with 137 runs. He scored 32 and five to start his series and the Blue Army needed him to fire on all cylinders in the last match and he didn’t let them down. Previously, his knock of 97 versus Ireland at the Malahide Cricket Ground also helped India register a comprehensive victory in the first T20I. He followed it up with a duck but has got back his rhythm in the deciding encounter against the Brits. KL Rahul Lokesh Rahul of India leaves the field. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Rahul has been in and out of the limited-overs team ever since he made his debut in 2016 versus Zimbabwe. He has only played 19 T20Is for his country but has shown his class with 696 runs at a stupendous average of 49.71. Moreover, he also has two centuries to his name. His knock of 110 runs from 51 balls at the Lauderhill in the United States remains to be one of his most superlative knocks. Recently, he played a couple of knocks of substance. The 26-year old scored 70 runs versus Ireland in Malahide and turned out to be the Player of the Match in the resounding triumph. He didn’t play the first match and cemented his place for the England series. At the Old Trafford in Manchester, the right-hander mauled the hosts’ bowling to a 53-ball century, which helped his team to a lead of 1-0 in the series. Virat Kohli (C) Virat Kohli of India bats. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Kohli, recently, became only the second Indian after Mithali Raj to score 2000 runs in T20Is. In 62 matches, the bearded beast notched 2102 runs at an average of 48.88. Most importantly, he has 18 fifties under his belt that shows his consistency and his appetite to achieve as a cricketer. He started the tour of the United Kingdom (UK) with a couple of low scores versus (0 and 9) versus Ireland. He also didn’t have much to do in the first T20I versus England in Manchester. The right-hander came to bat with his team in the threshold of victory and quietly scored 20 runs. His knock of 47 bailed the Men in Blue out of a precarious position and helped them to a respectable score. At the County Ground, he put on 43 runs in a useful stand with Rohit. Virat was also clever in using his tactics as a captain. Shoaib Malik Shoaib Malik of Pakistan bats. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images) Malik may be 36-years old, but his fervor to serve his nation hasn’t diminished by any stretch of the imagination. He remains to be a stalwart of their limited-overs lineup having racked up a significant amount of runs. In the recently concluded tri-series, Malik scored 132 runs in five matches at an average of 66. In 103 T20Is, Malik has 2121 runs with seven half-centuries. His quickfire knock of 37 runs in the first match helped Pakistan set a daunting target for Zimbabwe to track down. In the final, he held his nerves, in the end, to carve 43 runs and guide his team to the series victories. Previously, he also compiled a partnership of 107 runs with opener Fakhar Zaman. He was impressive versus Scotland with scores 53 and 49 not out respectively. MS Dhoni (wk) MS Dhoni of India catches. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Dhoni didn’t have much to do with the willow thus far in the tour of the UK. In the first T20I in Dublin, the veteran entertained the crowd with a couple of boundaries but became Peter Chase’s victim. Surprisingly, he was left out of the playing eleven for the next match. In two of India’s three matches versus England, he didn’t get to bat courtesy of the superlative show by the top order. At the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, the 37-year old scored 32 useful runs to help his team above the average first innings T20I score. Albeit he didn’t get many chances to bat, he put forth his prowess with the wicketkeeping gloves in Bristol. He became the first became the first keeper to take five catches in a T20I match. MS Dhoni also affected the run-out of Chris Jordan to finish with six dismissals. Hardik Pandya India batsman Hardik Pandya. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Pandya has been equally effective with the bat in the five T20Is Virat and his troops have played. In the series versus Ireland, he scored a breezy 32 from nine balls to shepherd his team over the 200-run mark, which eventually turned out to be a far cry for the hosts. In Manchester against England, he picked up the crucial wicket of Moeen Ali to carry on the good work by Kuldeep Yadav. He churned out Eoin Morgan’s wicket in Cardiff, but his best performance came in the third match in Bristol. He went for 22 runs in his first over to start his journey in the match. However, he showed an unruffled mindset and finished with the prized scalps of Alex Hales, Morgan, Ben Stokes, and Jonny Bairstow. In the run-chase, he came to bat in the 15th over and stormed away to 33 runs off 14 balls. Shadab Khan Shadab Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter) Shadab has been one of Pakistan’s most reliable bowlers in the shortest format and being a wrist-spinner, his responsibility to keep the batsmen in check is even more than his counterparts. In the tri-nation series, he was the leading wicket-taker among the spinners with five scalps from as many matches. He is also ICC’s second-ranked bowler in T20Is. With an economy of 8.60, he was a tad expensive but made sure that he chips in with wickets in crunch moments. His best performance in the triangular series came in the Final against Australia when he got rid of the belligerent Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell. In the Men in Green’s erstwhile series versus Scotland as well, Shadab was amongst the wickets. Hasan Ali Hasan Ali of Pakistan celebrates. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images) Hasan has evolved in the last one and half years. The fast-bowler has played 22 T20Is in which he has racked 27 wickets. He has been on top of the world rankings ever since he forayed into international cricket last year. Hasan is currently ranked 31st in the list of ICC’s T20Is bowlers. His last assignment was Pakistan’s T20I tri-nation event in Zimbabwe also involving Australia and the hosts. In the series, he played four matches and picked up as many wickets. In the opening encounter versus the home team, he churned out the wickets of skipper Hamilton Masakadza and Elton Chigumbura, who made a comeback to the national team after quite a while. He went wicketless in the next two encounters and ended his campaign with the wicket of Ashton Agar in the Final in Harare. Kuldeep Yadav Kuldeep Yadav of India celebrates. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images) Kuldeep is in the middle of a dream run in India’s tour of the UK. He tormented the inexperienced Irish batsmen with a four-wicket haul in the first match for which he was crowned as the Player of the match. In the second contest in Malahide, he again picked up three wickets to finish as the leading wicket-taker in the two-match series. The tweaker carried forward his form versus the Brits as well. The chinaman pulverised the English batters by becoming the first left-arm leg-break bowler to complete a five-wicket haul. He nipped out Hales, Root Bairstow, Morgan and Jos Buttler to accomplish the feat. He couldn’t quite weave his magic in the second match and was benched for the third match at the County Ground in Bristol, a decision which furrowed a few eyebrows. Jasprit Bumrah Jasprit Bumrah of India. (Photo Source: Twitter) Bumrah was touted to be India’s bowling spearhead in their tour of Ireland and England. He started his endeavour impressively with figures of 4-1-19-2 against Gary Wilson’s men at the Malahide Cricket Ground. Apart from pinning Paul Stirling and George Dockrell, he also ensured that he curbed the batsmen from playing the big shots. He didn’t play the next match at the same venue. Unfortunately, he suffered a thumb injury and was ruled out of the T20I and ODI series versus England. The team management would be hoping for their strike bowler to recover at the earliest and take charge. He is undoubtedly one of the country’s most immaculate bowlers, especially in the death overs where batsmen look to thrash the ball around the park.

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