Babar Azam's Bold T20I Choices: No Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah
Babar Azam did not include Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah in his World T20I squad, which is a shock for cricket lovers. He has given place to players like Rohit Sharma, Mohammad Rizwan and Suryakumar Yadav in his team. This selection is based on their recent form and utility, not just names and old records.
Pakistan's senior batsman and former captain Babar Azam has recently announced his favorite T20I World XI team. There are many big names on this team, but the most surprising thing is that Babar gave neither Virat Kohli nor Jasprit Bumrah a spot on it. Not only this, he also dropped his team's star bowler, Shaheen Afridi.
Babar announced his team in 2025 on the podcast show running on Zalmii TV. He chose India's Rohit Sharma and Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan for the opening. Both batsmen have performed brilliantly in T20. Rohit holds the record for playing the most runs and the most matches, while Rizwan has also been consistently playing well in the last few years.
At number three, Babar replaced Pakistan's Fakhar Zaman. At number four, India's Suryakumar Yadav, who is known for his innovative batting, has been included. In 2024, he was also made India's T20 captain.
England's Jos Buttler has been placed at number five, who is famous for his aggressive batting and wicketkeeping. South Africa's David Miller and all-rounder Marco Jansen got the place in sixth and seventh place.
Talking about the bowlers, Babar has expressed confidence in Afghanistan's Rashid Khan in the spin department. Australia's Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have been included in the fast bowlers, besides England's Mark Wood.
Babar's team shows his thinking that he is focusing more on recent form and the usefulness of the players, and not just the name and old records.