T20 World Cup 2021: Deep Dasgupta names his Team Of The Tournament
Former India wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta assembled his team of the tournament following the end of the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE. He named Babar Azam as his side's skipper, with players from seven nations making the cut.
Dasgupta chose the Pakistan opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, opting to leave out the player of the tournament, David Warner. He named the rest of the members of his playing XI while speaking on his YouTube channel, Dasgupta said:
"Let's start with my team for the tournament. First is, Mohammad Rizwan He was fabulous, the highest run-getter of the calendar year. Second is Babar Azam who also happens to be the captain of this team. Third, there is Jos Buttler. He is the only player whom I have picked at a different position than his original position. He can bat anywhere. According to me, at this point of time Jos Buttler is the best T20 batter in the world."
Dasgupta added:
"Then comes Charith Asalanka. He has been fabulous right throughout the tournament. Then Moeen Ali and David Weise come in as the all-rounders. Then is Dwaine Pretorius, I have chosen Pretorius predominantly because of his performance in the death overs plus obviously, he can bat. Then Wanindu Hasaranga, the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Then Rashid Khan, the sheer impact Rashid has on any game he plays. Then I will go with Anrich Nortje and Trent Boult."
Deep Dasgupta's Team of the Tournament: Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Jos Buttler, Charith Asalanka, Moeen Ali, David Weise, Dwaine Pretorious, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rashid Khan, Anrich Nortje, Trent Boult
Aaron Finch was the captain of the tournament: Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta elected to name title-winning captain Aaron Finch as the best among all the other leaders in the tournament. He praised Finch for leading the troops despite struggling with the bat over the course of the competition. The Australian skipper had taken more initiative with under-fire coach Justin Langer taking more of a back-seat approach during the tournament. Dasgupta added:
"One guy who seemed very impressive to me was, Aaron Finch. He was struggling with his one bat and that makes it very difficult if you are the captain but you are not contributing. But the way he handled the whole team from the beginning even though he was not performing and the team kept improving. The way he used Hazlewood, Cummins, Adam Zampa, and even Maxwell’s bowling was very very impressive."
Aaron Finch became the fifth skipper to win an ICC event for Australia after the likes of Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke.