Current best Asian combined XI in T20Is

Background

Asia has always been a nursery of cricket and has produced many greats of the game both in Test match cricket and in one-day cricket. However, off late, the focus of the continent as a whole has significantly tilted towards T20I cricket. This can be seen, not only in the ever-growing success of T20 leagues, such as Indian Premier League(IPL) and Pakistan Super League(PSL), but also in the ICC T20 team rankings as well, where both the sub-continental sides, Pakistan and India currently occupy the first and the second spot respectively.

The impact of T20 Cricket in the region has been so significant, that it was announced by the ICC that Asia Cup events from 2016 will be played on a rotation basis between One Day International and Twenty20 International format, on the basis of the format of upcoming world events. As a result, the 2016 event was the first event played in the T20I format and functioned as a preparatory tournament ahead of the 2016 ICC World Twenty20

So, let us take a look at the current players who can make it into the starting lineup of the Strongest Asian XI cricket team in T20I. Please note that the team has been selected, keeping in mind the balance of the team and the representation of as many Asian cricketing nations as possible.

Openers: Rohit Sharma and Fakhar Zaman

Undoubtedly, Rohit Sharma is currently one of the best openers in the T20I format. He can destroy any bowling line-up once he gets settled. Rohit is only the second player after Colin Munro to score three centuries in T20I cricket. His impeccable timing and ability to clear the boundaries at will makes him a special player. He currently occupies the tenth position in T20I batsman rankings and without any doubt, deserves his place in starting XI.

Fakhar Zaman

Fakhar Zaman, on the other hand, is a player who has the ability to score briskly in all the corners of the ground. His, see the ball, hit the ball attitude makes him lethal against any bowling attack. He has been in scintillating form of late, as was evident in the recently concluded tri-nation tournament in Zimbabwe, where he was as the "Player of the tournament".He is currently occupying the second position in the T20I batsman rankings and certainly makes a strong claim to partner Rohit Sharma at the top of the innings.

Middle Order: KL Rahul and Virat Kohli(Captain)

KL Rahul

KL Rahul is a player who looks pleasing to the eye. His all-round gameplay, ability to hit boundaries against both the spinners and fast bowlers make him a special talent. So far, in his 17 T20I innings, he has scored an impressive 696 runs at an average of 50 and a brilliant strike rate of 155 including two centuries which makes him a certainty to play at the number three position.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is without any doubt, one the best batsman in the business across all formats, especially in the T20I format. He is believed to be the best chaser, the world cricket has ever seen. The great thing about his batting is that he can adapt his batting according to the situation. His ranking off late has slipped a little but he, without any doubt not only deserves to be in the team but also deserves to captain the team as well.

All-rounders and Wicket-Keeper: Shakib Al Hassan, Hardik Pandya

and MS Dhoni (Wicket-keeper)

Shakib Al Hasan

The next is the Bangladeshi Legend, Shakib Al Hasan. The spin bowling all-rounder is currently ranked number three when it comes to the all-rounder rankings and number eleven when it comes to the bowler's rankings in T20I format. He is a very potent player with both bat and ball and is still a force to reckon with, in the shortest format. He definitely deserves his place in the starting XI.

Hardik Pandya

The 24-year-old, Hardik Pandya occupies the second all-rounder's spot. The fast bowling all-rounder can be effective in all the three departments i.e batting, bowling, and fielding. Pandya can provide crucial breakthroughs in bowling, he can also destroy any bowling attack while batting. Furthermore, he has the ability to turn the match on its head with his fielding as well. He also deserves his place in the starting XI.

MS Dhoni

The former Indian skipper, MS Dhoni, has been in decent form lately. Arguably, he is one of the best wicket-keeper in the history of cricket. Dhoni, who has scored 1487 runs in 93 T20I games at an impressive average of 37 and a decent strike rate of 127. This shows that he still has the ability to finish the games on his own especially in the T20I format. He became the first keeper to take five catches in a T20I match.

Spinner: Rashid Khan and Shadab Khan

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan will be playing as one the specialist wrist spinners in the team for sure. He is currently occupying the top spot by almost 100 rating points in the T20I bowler rankings. He is a match winner and can change the situation of the match anytime with the help of his quick arm action and variations. Therefore, he is a certainty in the T20I Team.

Shadab Khan

The leggie from Pakistan, Shadab Khan, is at number 2 in the T20I bowler rankings. He can trouble the batsmen with both his leg-break and the ever impressive googly. Being a wrist-spinner, the batsmen find it hard to read his variations. In T20Is so far, he has played 23 matches and picked up 32 wickets with the best bowling figure of 4/14.

Fast Bowlers: Mohammad Amir and Jasprit Bumrah

Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir has played 41 T20Is and picked up 52 wickets with the best bowling figure of 4/28. Amir has several variations in his bowling and with good consistent pace and accuracy in his armory, he has the skill to trouble any batting line-up. He is one of the reasons why Pakistan has done so well in T20I cricket.

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah's natural pace, unique arm action, accuracy, and variations make him a match winner. Bumrah, with his skiddy pace and impeccable yorkers, can trouble any batting line-up in the world. Bumrah is arguably the best T20I bowler in the world at the moment, as he is equally dangerous in the power play as well as in the death overs thereby, making him a certainty in the team.