New Delhi: Post the heart-breaking shambolic 10-wicket loss against arch-rivals Pakistan, Virat Kohli & Co are all set to take on New Zealand in a must-win match at Dubai International cricket stadium on Sunday. Ahead of the much-awaited thriller, ex-India opener Virender Sehwag has picked his India XI for Ind vs NZ T20 World Cup match.
In his playing XI, Sehwag has included star all-rounder Shardul Thakur, replacing speedster Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was included in India XI against Pakistan yet failed to create any impact. Both India and New Zealand have been defeated by Pakistan in their opening T20 World Cup games.
Virender Sehwag posted a Koo and wrote in the caption of his post: "My playing XI for today's match is Rohit, Rahul, Virat, Suryakumar, Pant, Hardik, Jadeja, Shardul, Shami, Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy."
Team India were totally dominated by Pakistan in their World Cup match. Batting first, India scored 151 runs in 20 overs, courtesy skipper Virat Kohli's hard-fought fifty. Pakistan easily chased down the 152-run target without losing a single wicket. Openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan attained an unbeaten 152-run partnership for their team - highest against India by any Pakistani openers in T20 cricket.
With three wins from three T20 WC games, Pakistan is placed on top of Group 2 points table and are almost certain to qualify to the semi-finals. India need a win over New Zealand if they wish to strengthen their chances of making it to the semi-finals. Apart from India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Namibia, Scotland and Afghanistan are other teams in Group 2.
Virender Sehwag's Playing XI for India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup match: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.