Indian skipper Virat Kohli and pacer Jasprit Bumrah are the only two Indians who have been enlisted Wisden’s T20I team of the decade. Surprisingly, the team led by Australia's Aaron Finch doesn't have either MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma.
“While Kohli's record in domestic T20 cricket is patchy, the same cannot be said of T20Is. Kohli's average of 53 was the best in the decade, and while his consistency compromises his strike-rate slightly, he is still able to score at a good rate, even if not exceptional,” said Wisden about Kohli.
“Strong against pace and spin, and rapid between the wickets, Kohli is an ideal player at No.3, able to fight fires when an early wicket is lost and stabilise the innings, but also accelerate when a platform is set. Following a huge first-wicket partnership, Kohli will slide down the order in this XI,” it added.
Talking about Bumrah, Wisden said that despite only making his debut in 2016, the Indian pace spearhead finds a spot in this team thanks to his defensive brilliance.
“Bumrah's overall economy rate of 6.71 is the second-best in the world among quick bowlers, behind Dale Steyn. This statistic is more impressive when you consider he did the majority of his bowling in the death overs, where his economy rate of 7.27 was the seventh-best in the world, and comfortably the best by a quick bowler. Bumrah is likely to bowl three overs at the death for this side.”
Wisden's T20I team of the decade:
Aaron Finch (c), Colin Munro, Virat Kohli, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Jos Buttler, Mohammad Nabi, David Willey, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga