On October 24, Team India will meet arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium to begin their ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. After winning both of their pre-tournament warm-up matches against England and Australia, the one area where India appeared to be lacking was the all-rounder position. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra voiced his opinion on India's sixth bowling option on his YouTube channel.
India has five bowlers ready to participate in their playing XI for the event, but with Hardik Pandya likely to feature exclusively as a batsman in the upcoming live T20 matches, the team's six bowling option is a problem.
“Hardik Pandya, not bowling for India is a big concern as they would have to go in with only five bowlers and won’t have a sixth option available. We may see Virat Kohli bowling again, the same way he did in 2016. This is something that is going to hurt India in their campaign. If Hardik starts bowling a few overs again, it will be a relief for India as in T20 cricket, teams need that extra bowling option."
Ravichandran Ashwin will play the match if India selects three spinners, according to Akash Chopra, since there are far too many left-handed batsmen in the squad. He also stated that Jadeja will be the team's No. 1 spinner. Meanwhile, on October 20, Kohli was spotted bowling for India in their second warm-up match against Australia. During the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup, which was held in India, he rolled his arm. On October 24, India will face Pakistan in their opening encounter of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, followed by matches against New Zealand on October 31 and Afghanistan on November 3.
India’s 15-men squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021