Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali After the tournament concluded, its ICC Champions Trophy has revealed the play of XI, with a record third title in Dubai. The Indian team led by Rohit Sharma defeated New Zealand by four wickets in a thrilling final, which to lift the prestigious trophy.
Interestingly, Basit Ali’s team had no Pakistani players despite Pakistan’s presence in the tournament as host nation. Also, his chosen XI was slightly different from the officer ICC team of tournamentEspecially as captain with Rohit Sharma instead of Michel Santner of New Zealand.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali justified his choice by focusing on performance in Dubai instead of those in Lahore. He made it clear that his selection was independent of ICC’s choice, saying: “I have made my game XI. I have seen performances in Dubai. I believe that there have been big performances in Gaddafi, but I have created XI, which I felt that I would not go on one.
Basit Ali praised the performance of his chosen players, especially Rohit Sharma’s captaincy and match winner Nock at 76 in the final. He also appreciated Virat Kohli, called him a “artist” and accepted his irreparable appearance on number 3.
“Number 3 has only one player – Virat Kohli. He is an artist, and only one who plays can understand how he played,” Basit said.
Basit also spoke about the inclusion of Shreyas Iyer, which emphasized his consistent contribution in the semi -finals and finals, he said: “He has improved a lot. His batting has played a big role in India’s victory. In the semi -finals and finals, he played well and took responsibility.”
The former cricketer completed KL Rahul as a wicketkeeper, Glenn Philips as an all-round option, and as Azmatullah Omrajai as an all-round star of the future. Basit also chose Mitchell Santner as his primary spinner on Exer Patel, but admitted that it was a difficult call.
- Basit Ali’s Champions Trophy XI: Rohit Sharma (Captain, Ind), Rachin Ravindra (NZ), Virat Kohli (Ind), Shreyas Iyer (Ind), KL Rahul (WK, IND), Glen Philips (NZ), Azamtullah Omrajai (AFG), Mitchel Santner (NZ), Matt Henre (Ind) Matt Henre (ind) 12th man: Exer Patel (IND)
ICC team of tournament
The official ICC XI placed Santner as a captain and contrary to Basit’s selection, Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran was included. However, both teams showed the choice of Kohli, Shami, Ravindra and Philips, which show their impressive performance throughout the tournament.
The boycott of Basit’s team’s Pakistani players provoked some reactions, but he stood by his pics, emphasizing that the selections were purely based on the performance rather than the national bias. “This is my team,” he concluded with confidence.
- ICC team of Champions Trophy: Rachin Rabindra (NZ), Ibrahim Zadran (AFG), Virat Kohli (IND), Shreyas Year (IND), KL Rahul (WK, IND), Glen Philips (NZ), Azmatullah Omarzai (Afg), Mitchell Santner (INDS) 12th man: Exer Patel (IND)
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