India’s former swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag backed Hardik Pandya as a finisher and said that the all-rounder will be on his team. Sehwag’s comment in the backdrop of Pandya’s poor form and ahead of the mega clash between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

While the Pakistan Cricket Board released their squad of 12 players a day before the clash, all eyes will be on the playing XI of the Indian cricket team. There’s been a lot of noise around the kind of combination that India is expected to field in the T20 World Cup as Hardik Pandya remains out of form.

Even though Kohli’s lips were sealed regarding the playing XI, Sehwag said that if 27-year-old Pandya clicks, it can become a game-winner.

“He will be on my team. The kind of batter he is, if he clicks, he’ll make the match one-sided, and finish it. He has the ability, which he has shown many times. Yes, if he was bowling fit, that would have been the icing on the cake,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

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“You should go with five bowlers plus if Hardik Pandya or someone else from the top-order bowls a few overs, it’ll be the perfect team for me… His batting is surely a concern. If he’s not in form or not batting well in the nets, then you can maybe see another batter, otherwise he’ll be my first pick,” Sehwag added.

Talking about India’s bowling combination, Sehwag explained how the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakravarthy will work wonders for India.

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“Jadeja gives you the combination of batting and bowling. He can bowl four overs because Pakistan just have one left-hander, which is Fakhar Zaman. Varun Chakravarthy will play against Pakistan for the first time so even the Pakistanis don’t know what kind of bowling he offers, so he could be that X-factor,” Sehwag added.

“Ashwin and Rahul Chahar are normal spinners. I believe the Pakistani batters will play them out easily because they are good players of spin,” Sehwag added.

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For the pacing unit, Sehwag chose Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the third seam option along with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.