T20 World Cup: Rishabh Pant picks his T20I dream team, leaves out Virat Kohli & Suryakumar

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has named five players who would make up his dream team in the shortest format of the game. In an interview with ICC, Pant picked his own T20I dream team, which included England's Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone, Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan and himself. Pant stated that he had to choose himself in the team because it's compulsory for him to do so.

Pant claimed that Buttler was his choice since he can place his shots anywhere he pleases. Pant continued by saying that he chose Livingstone for his T20I dream team since he loves seeing him play. The left-handed batter stated there is never a doubt in selecting Bumrah because of his abilities with the ball in all formats of the game. Pant said he picked Rashid because he has been a mystery spinner for the past six to seven years and is also a guy who can contribute with the bat.

Rishabh Pant's T20I Dream Team

• Jos Buttler (England) - ICC T20I Batting Ranking: 13
• Liam Livingstone (England) - ICC T20I Batting Ranking: 83
• Jasprit Bumrah (India) - ICC T20I Bowling Ranking: 75
• Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) - ICC T20I Bowling Ranking: 2
• Rishabh Pant (India) - ICC T20I Batting Ranking: 77

Pant leaves out Kohli & Suryakumar

Meanwhile, Pant left out Indian batters Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav from his T20I dream team. The duo has been phenomenal with the bat for India at the ongoing T20 World Cup, where they have done the bulk of scoring for their side thus far. One of the reasons why Pant didn't pick Kohli or Suryakumar in his T20I dream team could be because he selected the five players before the tournament had officially begun for the top-eight sides in the world. 

India are all set to play the second semifinal of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Thursday. India will face England in the crucial match, which is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. IST. It is not yet confirmed whether Pant will get an opportunity to play in the semifinal later in the day given that he has featured in just one game in the tournament so far. 

Image: AP/Twitter/RishabhPant