Team India have bright chances in T20 World Cup with the current aggressive approach: Jaffer

New Delhi, Aug 1: Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer has lauded the aggressive batting approach of Team India in the T20Is and even termed the Rohit Sharma-led side as favourites in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

The former domestic stalwart from Mumbai and Vidarbha recently joined the ShareChat Audio Chatroom session 'CricChat Powered by Parimatch'. In his career spanning over 25 years, Jaffer has played several significant knocks and established himself as one of the all-time greats in first-class cricket.

Impressed with Team India's renewed batting approach - where they are looking to score at a brisk pace from the word go - Jaffer claimed it makes their chances of winning the T20 WC bright.

Jaffer - who has played 31 Tests for India - said, "I feel that the aggressive approach that India has undertaken is very nice to witness. India's chances of winning are bright."

The right-handed batsman from Mumbai - who even played several memorable knocks in the Tests for India - shared some interesting facts about his fellow cricketers as well.

Recalling his friendly banter with former England captain Michael Vaughan on Twitter when the former International cricketer tried to put India down in his conversations, Jaffer said, "Any Tom, dick, and Harry comes and puts India down, which I don't like. I feel like if I have got the platform, I should give a reply."

During the discussion, the 44-year-old pondered over what would have happened had he been a player during this period. "Fitting in all three formats of cricket would have been exceedingly tough (ODI, T20, and Test). You must change and adapt to the format, or you will cease to exist." He further added, "Despite my high esteem for players like Cheteshwar Pujara, one cannot play like him in this era, or you'll merely play Test cricket, which is also not guaranteed."
While getting candid during the discussion, Jaffer opened up on the possibility of his biography. "I would want Yograj Singh to portray Chandrakant Pandit and Vicky Kaushal to play my character," he added further.
Talking about the burning debate surrounding Virat Kohli's form, the Mumbaikar stated that one could not write off a guy like Virat, who has an incredible strike rate and average in T20 cricket. He also stated that when Virat returns to his form, it will be even greater than before it dipped.

"Virat will remain in his original No. 3 place on the team," he added. About the opening combination for Team India in the T20Is going forward, the former cricketer backed Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul and conceded that Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan can contribute.

"KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma should open, and other players like Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan can contribute significantly to the squad."
Wasim also took part in a rapid-fire round called "Power Play," related to various topics pertaining to the world of cricket. When asked about India's most excellent captain, Wasim mentioned that MS Dhoni had remained a successful captain owing to the number of tournaments he has won. The discussion was moderated by the famous Indian RJ, Suren Sundaram.