Wasim Jaffer, a former Indian batsman came out with his Indian playing XI prior to their first clash of Asia Cup vs arch-nemesis Pakistan this Sunday (August 28) at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai, UAE. Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik were the only wicketkeepers Jaffer could not pick between, however, he said that if Pant plays, he should bat at No. 5 for India. Additionally, he left out R Ashwin as the team's third spinner in favour of Ravi Bishnoi as the second leg-spinner in the XI. Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal are the other two spinners in his starting XI, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh are included since they are true fast bowlers. Hardik Pandya, an all-around fast bowler, is also a member of his squad.

My India XI vs Pakistan:

1. Rohit
2. KL
3. Virat
4. Sky
5. Hardik
6. DK / Pant*
7. Jadeja
8. Bhuvi
9. Bishnoi
10. Chahal
11. Arshdeep

*If Pant plays, he should bat at no.5.

What's yours?#INDvPAK #AsiaCup

Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) August 27, 2022

Jaffer’s playing XI is as follows: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik/Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

All-rounder Deepak Hooda, seasoned spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, and pacer Avesh Khan were not included in Jaffer's starting eleven. Whether Team India should start Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik at the Asia Cup has caused controversy among fans. The T20I statistics for Pant don't exactly support his talent. The wicketkeeper-batter has performed admirably in Tests and ODIs, but he has struggled to repeat that success in T20Is on a more regular basis.

His overall T20I statistics showed 883 runs scored in 54 games, a below-average average of 23.86. In the smallest format of the game, Pant has scored three half-centuries. He has participated in 13 T20 Internationals in 2022 and has amassed 260 runs at an average of 26.00.

Only one half-century and a 52* are all that he has managed. Following his time with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League 2022, Karthik gained notoriety once more this year. He scored 330 runs at an average of 55.00 in his 16 IPL appearances for RCB, going unbeaten eleven times. He also managed to reach fifty and achieve a high mark of 66*.

However, despite playing some good knocks, he has not really repeated this success in international cricket. This year, he has scored 192 runs at an average of 21.33 in 15 T20I games.

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