Former Indian middle-order batter Hanuma Vihari has named India’s strongest playing XI for the forthcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2027, which is scheduled to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari went ahead with Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul as the top five batting options in the line-up. Notably, Gill ended the three-match England ODI series as India’s leading run-scorer with 188 runs.
Moving forward, he has picked up Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Krunal Pandya as all-round options. Moreover, he has picked up Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as the pace battery.
“Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. This will be my playing XI for the World Cup. They have the experience and will definitely challenge any team. If you have these six bowling options, I think any captain will be happy. You can bowl any bowler at any time. They are very smart bowlers. If you have such a bowling attack, even Hardik can take wickets in the middle overs,” Hanuma Vihari said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“Sundar does not give a lot of overs and captain Shubman Gill has also not trusted him enough. So I have a name in mind. If Ravindra Jadeja is your second all-rounder, then we don’t need him as a spinner. If not, then Krunal Pandya is your go-to man. Why Krunal? Because he is doing very well with the bat as well. More than Sundar, Krunal can be effective in terms of bowling and also batting. The batting order is fixed till number five. At six you can have Hardik, Axar at seven, and Krunal at eight. You can expect him to do the same thing he did for RCB. If wickets fall early, you can send him at five as well and he can do the finishing role well too,” Hanuma Vihari added.
“You may ask where Bhuvi came from. But to win the World Cup, you need to have experience. Imagine Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah with the new ball. Leave Shami aside because he is not being considered. But at least consider Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He can get the swing in South African conditions, has the experience, and his pace has improved. We have seen what he has done in the IPL. He has played domestic and List A as well and has the fitness to bowl ten overs. At least it would be enough to play against the main teams. There will be some teams in the league stage against whom you don’t need to play him, so workload management can also happen,” he observed.
Furthermore, the former middle-order batter has asserted that Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will share the new ball with Nitish Kumar Reddy being Hardik Pandya’s back-up in the squad.
“Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar can take the new ball. They can bowl the first six-seven overs and then Siraj can be the first change. The powerplay bowling will be set. In the middle overs, if Hardik is fit, he walks in straightaway. Nitish Kumar Reddy can be the backup. Then you have Axar Patel and then another all-rounder,” he concluded.
Hanuma Vihari’s India playing XI for the ODI World Cup 2027: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj
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