Harsha Bhogle picks his all-time greatest T20 World Cup XI, only one Indian included

One of the most prominent faces of the cricketing fraternity, Harsha Bhogle has named his all-time greatest T20 World Cup XI. The Indian commentator picked his side ahead of the start of the second round of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

Bhogle, in conversation with Cricbuzz, stated that his list of players was based only on performances across different editions of the T20 World Cup. Furthermore, he was looking for a ‘balanced’ side and his team features as many as seven proper batters with six bowling options, and two genuine allrounders.

He began with the explosive hitter from Jamaica, Chris Gayle and the English captain Jos Buttler. It is only natural that a profile such as Gayle be included in any T20 side considering the performances he has given in the shortest format.

Furthermore, Bhogle picked a star-studded middle-order with Virat Kohli making the cut. Interestingly, the flamboyant right-hander was the only Indian picked by the commentator in his XI. Kohli was followed by Kevin Pietersen who was the player of the tournament at the 2010 T20 World Cup.

At no. 5, Bhogle went with Michael Hussey, who is known for his hard hitting and consistency in the format and has been dominant when he takes on the bowlers. Prominent all-rounders Shane Watson and Shahid Afridi too were included by the Indian commentator. Afridi was known for his impressive outing in the 2009 World Cup winning squad.

Lasith Malinga, the deadly pacer from Sri Lanka, along with New Zealand swing king Trent Boult and Pakistan's Umar Gul made it to Bhogle's ranks while he picked spinner Samuel Badree, who was instrumental in West Indies winning the titles in 2012 and 2016.

Harsha Bhogle's all-time T20 World Cup XI: Chris Gayle, Jos Buttler, Virat Kohli, Kevin Pietersen, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Trent Boult, Lasith Malinga, Samuel Badree