Dubai: With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup less than two weeks away, Australian legend Adam Gilchrist named India star all-rounder Hardik Pandya the first five players he picked in a dream World T20I XI.
Gilchrist has overseen a wealth of T20 cricket, and named players from five different countries in his quintet.
Besides Pandya, Australia batter David Warner, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, Afghanistan bowler Rashid Khan, and England’s Jos Buttler are featured in Gilchrist’s list.
“Pandya is just an awesome figure straight across the board. His ability to bat, bowl, field and entertain, he’s definitely in there,” ICC quoted Gilchrist as saying.
“He’s (Warner) at the top of the order. I think just his attacking attitude, the way he kick-starts innings at the top, and the confidence he’ll have from the previous T20 World Cup.
“His (Babar) versatility across all formats, but also when it’s getting down to T20 cricket, just across all conditions, I think he can play all conditions really well,” he noted.
Speaking about Rashid, he said: “He’s just got to be there in any T20 team, doesn’t he? Cricketer of the year in this format across the world. Over the last decade, Rashid Khan is in there.
“It’s a bit batting heavy I know, but Jos Buttler for me. He is just dynamic, his power and his courage to take it on. Simply a stroke of brilliance from him and its game over,” Gilchrist added.
