India-Pakistan T20I Combined XI

India will look to bounce back from their opening game defeat to New Zealand on Saturday when they take on Pakistan in Kolkata. While the hosts lost comprehensively, Pakistan got off to a brilliant start to their World T20 campaign by thrashing Asia Cup finalists Bangladesh.It will be a battle of two different teams as a settled line-up takes on one which has quite a few changes from just the last T20I that was played by them. While India is blessed with plenty of big-hitters, Pakistan have the luxury of an incredible pace battery to call on and help their cause.While both sides are similar in the amount of bowling options that they have (quick hint: it is a lot), which players from both sides make it into the combined XI featuring the best from both nations?Here is your answer as Sportskeeda brings to you the India-Pakistan T20I Combined XI:

#1 Rohit Sharma

On current form, few would argue that Rohit Sharma isn't the best, if not one of the best openers in cricket. Not everyone has the capability to shift through gears, go from finding the fielders to picking out the spectators in the crowd like Rohit does. And his record in T20Is speaks for itself.

One of only four Indians to have scored over 1,000 runs in the format, his average of almost 35 and his strike rate of 129.5 are excellent numbers for an opener. Not only does he provide India with fast starts, but more often that he has shown that he has what it takes to kick on from there and make a big score.

#2 Mohammad Hafeez

While it is true that Shikhar Dhawan has come on leaps and bounds in the last month or so, especially in the shortest format of the game, his overall record is proof that he still has some way to go before coming close to his opening partner. And that is why Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez gets the nod over him for the other opening slot.

While his record in T20Is may not have set the world on fire, he provides Pakistan with a stable platform on which to build their innings. He may not have all the big shots in his repertoire but his ability to find the gap and hit inside-out shots is one thing he has going for him.

#3 Virat Kohli

The Asia Cup opener against Bangladesh might have been the best thing to happen to Virat Kohli as it has just brought him back down to earth. After his impressive performances in the T20I series against Australia, where he scored, at least a fifty in each game, his average in the shortest format of the game went past 50.

So far, in 34 T20I matches, he has scored over 1200 runs with an average just under 50 and a strike rate in excess of 135. Those are Bradman-esque figures in this format of the game and while average might have dipped below 50 with that failure, it probably will give him the motivation to get that up over the half-century mark once again and cement his status as the best No.3 in the format.

#4 Suresh Raina

Poor form might have led to Suresh Raina's exclusion from the 50-over squad to Australia, but his inclusion in the T20I squad was just reward for his impressive performances in the format so far. Both in that series and against Sri Lanka, she showed that he was back in form and is getting back to the player he was in the Indian Premier League.

For someone, who predominantly occupies the difficult middle-order slot, where you are expected to go hard from ball one, his numbers are impressive. An average in excess of 30 and a strike rate just under 135 show that he has more than justified his selection for the side. And in the sub-continent, his more than handy off-spin is an added bonus too.

#5 Umar Akmal

At No.5 is Pakistan's Umar Akmal, who is coming off the back of a brilliant Pakistan Super League performance, where he cemented his credentials one of the best middle-order batsmen going around. While his T20I numbers may not be as good as his overall T20 numbers, he still has achieved more than what many have managed.

While his 71 matches has certainly been a contributing factor, he is one of only six players to have scored 1,500 runs in the format. While no Indian has crossed that mark, he is one of two Pakistanis, along with Hafeez to have done so. An overall average over 30 and strike rate over 130 shows that he can get going right away and has all the shots in the book to get those runs.

#6 MS Dhoni (WK & C)

At No.6, captaining and keeping for the side is none other than MS Dhoni. While Sarfraz Ahmed is a good keeper, when it comes to T20Is, Dhoni is arguably the best wicketkeeper-batsman there is. His record in the format speaks for itself. Although his numbers in T20Is don't live up to his lofty reputation, they are still impressive nonetheless.

Few hit a cricket ball harder than MS and when he is on song, there are few bowlers capable of containing. Whether it is a yorker or a short ball, Dhoni's unorthodox technique means he can more than hold his own and hit the ball out of the park.

Although he hasn't been afforded the opportunity to bat up the order, his six-hitting ability and his running between the wickets make him an invaluable asset at the death overs, where he more often than not, comes out on top.

#7 Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi may have come into cricket as a batting all-rounder, but in the twilight of his career, he has transformed himself into a bowling all-rounder. While he is still capable of hitting a few out of the park and finishing the innings off with a flourish, it is with the ball in hand that he has become more effective.

Much like Anil Kumble was, he is more of a fast bowler, who bowls with a spinner's run-up and his variation of speed and subtle varieties are what make him very difficult to get away. Almost always economical, Afridi has also picked up the knack of picking up crucial wickets when his side need him the most and that is what helps him make it into this side as the bowling all-rounder at No.7.

#8 Ravichandran Ashwin

One look at the current Ravichandran Ashwin and you can see that he is a long way away from the bowler who started out in international cricket a few years ago. While he still has plenty of variations that he uses from time to time, his control over his stock delivery and his ability to bowl the ball that he wants when he wants, instead of being forced to doing something the batsman wants is a measure of just how good he is.

While they usually say that leg-spinners are hard to read, because of the variations they possess, in Ashwin's case, they are true as well. While before he used to use all of his deliveries in the same over, with experience, he has learnt to pick and choose when he employs one of his many deliveries.

And that is what makes him so dangerous that you don't know, when he will slip in an unplayable variation.

#9 Wahab Riaz

Ever since the 2015 World Cup, Wahab Riaz has managed to transform himself from being a very good fast bowler who has bursts of brilliance into the leader of Pakistan's pace attack and someone who is always there for his captain, when a wicket is needed. While he is also capable of swinging his bat, if necessary, it is his ability to bowl throughout the 20 overs that make him so special.

In an era of specialists, Riaz has shown that he can not only pick up wickets with the new ball but has all the ingredients necessary to be a very good death bowler as well. Although he hasn’t played as many T20Is as he should have, there can be no doubting that he is Pakistan's best bowler.

#10 Jasprit Bumrah

Before the T20I series against Australia, Jasprit Bumrah hadn't played for India. In fact, he had played less than 50 times in T20s. Yet, his impressive performances for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL forced the selectors to take a punt on him, when they were desperately in need of a death bowler.

In his seven T20I matches, Bumrah has managed to provide the solution to something that has long plagued India. Death overs has always been the country's problem with the ball, but with the addition of Bumrah, they finally have someone who can bowl yorkers almost at will with unerring accuracy.

Add to that his ability to vary his pace and the fact he has a good bouncer and you have the perfect ingredients for a death bowler.

#11 Mohammad Amir

The battle for the final bowler's slot is between Ashish Nehra and Mohammad Amir. While both have just come back from a long hiatus, it is Amir who has made the more eye-catching return on his comeback to the side. While both have similar averages, Amir has the better economy rate while Nehra has the marginally better strike rate. But thanks to his superior pace and variation, it is Amir who gets the nod over Nehra.

While many had great expectations of Amir, few could have predicted the impact that he has made on the current Pakistan side. Out of nowhere, the 23-year-old has come in and taken the bull by the horns and established himself as the No.1 fast bowler for Pakistan. With his excellent array of variations, whether it is slower balls, yorkers or bouncers, he is equally effective at the start or the end of the innings.