Players who were part of 2007 T20 WC and are in 2021 T20 WC squads too

The excitement, build-up, and anticipation for the upcoming ICC T20 WC 2021 are palpable among fans, experts, and critics as it starts from today (October 17). After five years, the global event is set to take place in Oman and UAE with West Indies being the defending heroes. If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, the event would have taken place in Australia in 2020. After several discussions, ICC decided to give the hosting rights to India for the 2021 edition.

T20 format is undoubtedly the fastest, challenging, and most unpredictable format. It is all about a few overs or balls, and suddenly the team which was having an upper hand starts to feel the heat. England were bossing the game in the 2016 final of the T20 WC, only to be derailed by Carlos Braithwaite in the last five balls of the innings. The T20 format has also unearthed quite a few gems in the form of Rohit Sharma, Mohammad Hafeez, and Dwayne Bravo, who have gone to break records for their respective teams.

While Rohit Sharma made his debut in the inaugural edition of 2007 by showing a fearless attitude against South Africa, Hafeez made a mark by displaying his all-around skills. These players are still going strong and are pivotal for the team’s success during this year’s edition as well. Here are a few-

Players who were part of the first T20 WC and are in 2021 World T20 squads too

1. Rohit Sharma

From scoring a T20I half-century on debut in 2007 against South Africa to being the vice-captain in the 2021 edition, Rohit Sharma has had a brilliant journey. In his debut T20I game, he was played in the middle order by the then captain MS Dhoni. A lot has changed since then, as Rohit Sharma now is the designated opener of the Indian team since 2013.

The 34-year-old’s fearless attitude and his sensational power-hitting give India a good start up front. Also, the vice-captain has a stupendous record in the ICC events. Rohit Sharma has so far scored 673 runs in 25 innings across six editions. He would like to work on the strike rate though as he has got those runs at 127.22.

With the pitches in UAE assisting spinners more, the elegant right-hand batter would yet again play the anchor role to perfection by mixing caution with aggression.