The International Cricket Council has selected six Indians for its ‘Team of the Tournament’ for the just-concluded T20 World Cup. Notably, star batter Virat Kohli did not make it to the team, despite playing a match-winning innings in the final against South Africa.
Kohli, playing in a new role as an opener, had a below-par World Cup performance until the final, where he played a crucial knock of 76 runs off 59 balls. This helped India win their second T20 World Cup title after 17 years, defeating South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final.
The ICC XI included Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and two pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. Rohit scored 257 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 156.7, making him the second-highest run-scorer after Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Jasprit Bumrah, named Player of the Tournament, emerged as India’s key player in their title win, taking 15 wickets. More significantly, his ability to control the run-scoring of opposing teams made him India’s most vital player throughout the tournament. Bumrah’s economy rate of 4.17 was the best by any bowler in a single edition of the men’s T20 World Cup.