Harbhajan Singh picks his preferred Indian XI for 2024 T20 World Cup, chooses Sanju Samson ahead of Rishabh Pant

Harbhajan Singh has picked his preferred Indian XI for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The former India spinner reckons Sanju Samson should be played ahead of Rishabh Pant as the wicketkeeper-batter at No. 5.

India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign with a clash against Ireland in New York on Wednesday, June 5. The Men in Blue will face Bangladesh in their only warm-up game on Saturday, June 1.

On the Star Sports show 'Game Plan', Harbhajan chose India's ideal playing XI and opined that Samson's recent form should earn him a spot.

"According to me, Rohit (Sharma) will play and (Yashasvi) Jaiswal will be there alongside him. Virat Kohli will play at No. 3 and then there is Suryakumar Yadav. Then I will say you should play Sanju because he is in very good form," he said.

The 2007 T20 World Cup winner picked Yuzvendra Chahal ahead of Kuldeep Yadav as the wrist-spinner.

"Hardik Pandya at No. 6. Then you will play (Ravindra) Jadeja at No. 7. He is an all-rounder. Yuzvendra Chahal needs to play in my opinion and then three seamers - Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj," Harbhajan stated.

Apart from Kuldeep and Pant, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel are the other players in India's 15-member squad not to find a place in Harbhajan's preferred XI.

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"If you want to leave out a spinner and bring in Shivam Dube, it would depend on the conditions" - Harbhajan Singh

Shivam Dube presents India with a big-hitting middle-order option. [P/C: BCCI]

Harbhajan Singh reckons India can include Shivam Dube at a spinner's expense if the conditions are not spin-friendly.

"I feel there is not much scope for change. If you want to leave out a spinner and bring in Shivam Dube, it would depend on the conditions. If the conditions favor spin, you will want two spinners - a wrist-spinner and Ravindra Jadeja," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Kuldeep Yadav can play as a third spinner in place of a seamer on a turning track.

"If it is spinning a lot, you should also add Kuldeep Yadav there. You can reduce one fast bowler. Hardik Pandya will have to bowl then. You will have to tell him that he needs to bowl two or three overs. It could be the first over or in the middle overs when the field is spread so that he first gets the confidence," he elaborated.

Rohit Sharma and company could even consider including both Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in the playing XI. It would provide them depth in the batting order and an additional left-handed batter who can be used as a floater.