Irfan Pathan picks India’s T20 World Cup squad

NewsWho’s in and who’s out? A former T20 World Cup winner dons the selector’s hat

The T20 World Cup begins just days after the IPL ends and presents another opportunity for India to end their ICC trophy drought. ESPNcricinfo’s Raunak Kapoor sat down with a man who played a key role in winning that title in 2007 to figure out who has a strong enough case to be on the flight to the West Indies and the USA and who still has work to do.

India’s batting still revoles around Rohit Sharma, who will be captain, and Virat Kohli, who in this IPL, has shown that he has expanded his game and is willing to hit boundaries from the get-go. Pathan insists that Kohli is absolutely vital in a big tournament and debunks a few myths about his strike rate.

The biggest bone of contention in the squad is who will be the wicketkeeper. Rishabh Pant is only just coming back from a life-threatening accident and multiple surgeries. Jitesh Sharma has shown lots of potential but doesn’t have the body of work yet in international cricket. Then there’s also KL Rahul who has the versatility to bat wherever he needs to.

Irfan also believes that any team with aspirations of winning a World Cup must have “a gun left-arm fast bowler” and throws his weight behind Uttar Pradesh and Lucknow Super Giants’ Mohsin Khan, even though he is yet to be capped at international level. Here are his reasons why.