T20 World Cup 2021: Strongest India Predicted Playing XI against Scotland

Aiming to record another emphatic win, India will take on Scotland in their upcoming fixture of the T20 World Cup 2021. The encounter takes place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday (November 5). After suffering humiliating defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand, the Men in Blue brought their A-game out and defeated Afghanistan by 66 runs in their recent fixture.

However, their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals are still on the knife’s edge. Alongside winning their remaining fixtures comprehensively, the Virat Kohli-led side would have to depend upon other match results to get through. As far as Scotland are concerned, they are officially out of the semi-final race, having lost their first three fixtures. However, many of their players have played quality cricket in the competition. Hence, writing them off won’t be wise for the Indian team.

Meanwhile, here’s the predicted Playing XI of India for T20 World Cup 2021 Match 37:

Openers – Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul

After experimenting with the opening combination against New Zealand, the Indian team management reinstated Rohit Sharma at the top and the Hitman justified the decision. Both Rohit and Rahul showcased their caliber against Afghanistan and scored fine half-centuries.

The duo added 140 runs for the first wicket, knocking Afghanistan out of the contest. With Scotland not possessing a daunting bowling attack, one can expect the duo to fire again. Moreover, the Dubai track has been witnessing some high scores lately.

Middle-Order – Virat Kohli (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK)

Indian skipper Virat Kohli didn’t come out to bat against Afghanistan as his other teammates were on a roll. Nevertheless, one can expect him to play at his regular number three position if Rahul and Rohit don’t replicate their heroics. Having scored a half-century against Pakistan, Kohli would back himself to do well.

Suryakumar Yadav is next in the line-up. Like Kohli, he didn’t either get to bat in the last game. Hence, he would be determined to make a mark against the Scottish side. Rishabh Pant has already played a couple of fine knocks in this competition and won’t mind unleashing mayhem again.

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja

There was a lot of hullaballoo over Hardik Pandya’s place in the playing XI ahead of the Afghanistan game. The dasher, however, silenced his critics with a staggering cameo. He has even bowled a couple of overs in his last two outings. Hence, the team management would want him to put up a similar or even better show.

The other all-rounder in the team will be Ravindra Jadeja. Having enjoyed a purple patch in IPL 2021, the southpaw played handy cameos against Pakistan and New Zealand. He even bowled an economical spell against Afghanistan.

Bowlers: Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

Indian bowlers also did exceptionally against Afghanistan. The inclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin proved to be a masterstroke as the off-spinner spun his web and took a couple of crucial wickets. Mohammed Shami also found himself among the wickets, dismissing three batters.

Shami’s partner-in-crime Jasprit Bumrah is set to spearhead India’s bowling attack yet again. He has also shown some fine form lately. Shardul Thakur hasn’t done well in his first couple of outings. However, the team management would retain him with Bhuvneshwar Kumar not being in great touch.

India’s Probable Playing XI for Scotland clash: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah