Robin Uthappa picks Team India’s best XI for first T20I against New Zealand

Veteran cricketer Robin Uthappa has picked Team India’s best playing eleven for the opening T20I against New Zealand on Wednesday, November 17 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. He picked skipper Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul as the openers as he didn’t wish to disturb the opening combination with the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in Australia next year.

At No.3, he went for Ruturaj Gaikwad, who won the Orange Cap with the Chennai Super Kings in the 2021 edition of the IPL. He went for Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav at No.4 and 5 respectively. Iyer had a decent campaign for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, but couldn’t take part in the WC. Uthappa lauded Suryakumar for being flexible and having the ability to bat anywhere in the middle order.

Robin Uthappa shares his opinion

Uthappa made his picks while speaking in a video on ESPNcricinfo’s YouTube channel. Uthappa went for the dynamic Rishabh Pant for the No.6 slot as he reckoned that the left-hander is one of India’s finishers going into the next World Cup. He said that Pant needs a bit more time at that position to get accustomed to the role of finishing in the next 12 months.

Uthappa picked Ravi Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal as his specialist spinners. Ashwin made his comeback in limited-overs cricket during the World Cup and he played his role efficiently. Chahal, on the other hand, wasn’t included for the mega event and he will be looking to prove a point. He also picked Harshal Patel, who, he feels, has grown leaps and bounds in the last couple of years.

Harshal was also impressive for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. To partner Patel, Uthappa picked Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Siraj as the other fast bowlers. Bhuvneshwar has looked a tad off colour of late. In his eleven, Uthappa didn’t pick the likes of Ishan Kishan and Deepak Chahar, who both have played important roles for India over the last few months.

Here’s the XI

Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ravi Ashwin, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj