T20 World Cup 2021, India vs Pakistan: VVS Laxman predicts his India playing XI

It would be a mouth-watering encounter, as arch-rivals India and Pakistan lock horns in their opening clash of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. It would be the sixth clash between the two in the tournament, with Pakistan having lost all five to date.

ALSO READ: T20 World Cup 2021, India vs Pakistan: Matthew Hayden expects a real dogfight

However, with the two sides currently in stiff competition in the ICC T20I Rankings, this could be the most intense clash between them to date. Also, Pakistan has a competitive squad to give a tough time to the Indians. Ahead of this encounter, legendary former Indian VVS Laxman has revealed his ideal playing XI for India against the Pakistanis.

ALSO WATCH: Most catches by a fielder in ICC T20 World Cup

"They are spoilt for choices. But, I will go with Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul to open. Number three will be Virat Kohli, number four will be Suryakumar Yadav, number five Rishabh Pant, number six Hardik Pandya, number seven will be Ravindra Jadeja, number eight will be Bhuvneshwar Kumar, number nine will be Bumrah," he told Star Sports.

ALSO WATCH: T20 World Cup 2021- Star Sports releases new version of 'Mauka-Mauka' ad ahead of India-Pakistan clash

Interestingly, he did not include young opener Ishan Kishan, who had a great outing during the warm-up against England. Also, he decided to include two spinners in his XI, in the form of Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar. In contrast, he decided against using Ravichandran Ashwin, despite the latter having a decent outing against England and Australia in the warm-ups.

ALSO WATCH: Most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in an ICC T20 World Cup edition

Ashwin was also one of the most economical ones in those. "Number ten and number 11 will be two spinners, Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar. It's a long tail, but I will back the top seven to get the bulk of the runs," he concluded. Despite the Dubai track having slowed down during the latter phase of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), he expects runs to flow in once the Super 12s begin at the venue.