Former Team India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel believes India skipper Virat Kohli is absolutely sure about the combination he wants to go with for the upcoming ICC T20 Men's World Cup.
Speaking about his choice of Team India's probable playing XI on Star Sports' show 'Cricket Connected', Parthiv said, "I am sure Virat knows his playing XI and probably not the names, but I am sure he knows what combination he wants to go with. To me, the question will be, should you play Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Shardul Thakur."
"Probably Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul to open Virat at No 3, Suryakumar at No 4, Rishabh at No 5, Hardik - even if he is not bowling, he is picked as someone who can finish the game - Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Shami, Bumrah and the last choice will be between Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar," he added.
Earlier, Kohli announced that he will step down as Team India's T20I captain after the showpiece event. India will be facing their arch-rival Pakistan for their first World Cup clash in Dubai on October 24.
Meanwhile, former India pacer Ajit Agarkar reckons that Virat Kohli can look at Ravindra Jadeja as one of the top-order batters in the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
India will open its campaign in the upcoming T20 World Cup against Pakistan on October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium. Virat Kohli's side will also have the services of MS Dhoni as the former India skipper will act as a mentor.
"Relatively certain that Virat Kohli would like six bowling options. If the pitch has something to offer, then you can perhaps take a chance with five bowlers, but if it's a flat pitch, he would ideally want to go in with six bowlers with three seamers and they have lots of spin options," said Agarkar on Star Sports' show 'Cricket Connected'.
"And Jadeja is an all-rounder whose batting has come out in leaps and bounds. So, you can treat him as one of the top-order batsmen. So, my six options - if Hardik Pandya is not to bowl - would be Bumrah, Shami, Shardul, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar," he added.
India defeated England by seven wickets in the warm-up fixture on Monday and KL Rahul starred with the bat as he played a knock of 51 runs. Ishan Kishan was also a bright spot as he played a knock of 70 runs.
