Lalchand Rajput picks combined men's and women's Indian T20I team

The popularity of men’s cricket is second to none, but women’s cricket is growing at a rapid pace. From the Indian team’s perspective, the women’s team emerged as runners-up in the 2017 World Cup and 2020 T20 World Cup, and have showcased their abilities. The women’s IPL is also around the corner due to the improved performances of players and interest among the cricket fans for women’s cricket.

For the last couple of years, there have been requests by some of the organizations for a mixed-gender match, but the plan is still in the pipeline. In the latest interaction, the former Indian cricketer Lalchand Rajput chose the players for a combined men’s and women’s Indian T20I team.

Lalchand Rajput picks four players from the Indian women’s team

In the latest interaction with CricTracker’s ‘Not Just Cricket’ show presented by Sky247.net, Rajput stated it would be exciting to get a combination of men’s and women’s teams in T20 cricket. He started with the players from the men’s team and chose KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. The former cricketer then picked Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, due to their track record in the T20 format.

In the all-rounder bracket, Rajput chose Hardik Pandya, due to his terrific form in the ongoing IPL, and hailed his move to play a responsible role for the Gujarat Titans. Then, he chose Ravindra Jadeja, as he brings much value to the Indian team, and Jasprit Bumrah as the team’s lead pace bowler. From the women’s team, his picks were experienced cricketers, Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Jhulan Goswami.

“Hardik Pandya is a brilliant finisher, and now he has taken responsibility as well in IPL. Then I think Jadeja is a brilliant all-rounder and Bumrah, who is one of the best fast bowlers we’ve got at the moment,” said Rajput.

“I have chosen four players from the women’s team, and first will be Mithali Raj, then Harmanpreet Kaur is an explosive batter, and then Smriti Mandhana. The fourth one will be the fast bowler Jhulan Goswami,” he added.

Lalchand Rajput’s combined Indian T20I team: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jhulan Goswami