With the T20 World Cup now just over a month away, the participating teams are finalising their respective squads for the marquee event. May 1st is the deadline for submitting a provisional squad with the ICC which can be modified till May 25th following which approval from the governing body’s technical committee will be required.

Indian team is expected to name their squad by tomorrow with a red-hot debate over whether the selectors should punt on the exuberance of youth or rely on the experience of old.

A number of youngsters have put their hands up in the recent past with eye-catching performances and judging by the way batting has evolved in the ongoing IPL, India will need plenty of big-hitters in their batting line-up.

With Rohit Sharma named as captain and Virat Kohli expected to make the cut as well, Australia legend Matthew Hayden has added his voice to the ongoing discussions over the merit of picking big names over rising stars.

“From an Australian cricket point of view, our philosophy is pretty simple. We pick not the names or the icons but select those who are going to win you the World Cup. We’ve got our own debates on our front. David Warner… should he go? We’ve had our challenges and I think we have been very good over the last 20 or even 30 years to actually think what is the side that is going to win,” Hayden said Star Sports.

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Hayden says Kohli’s numbers are fantastic and feels it will be a challenge for the Indian team management to overlook his vast experience over the impetus of youth.

“This Virat Kohli discussion is probably the primary discussion here. Is he the individual who is going to win you the World Cup? I mean, his last ODI World Cup was a fantastic campaign. He has got nothing wrong with his statistics, historically no matter what tournament he plays. So the challenge from mine is his experience vs the young impetus that is required to play great World Cup cricket,” Hayden said.

The T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by the USA and Caribbean islands. While the pitches in USA are still an unknown quantity, the surfaces in the Caribbean are usually slow.

“More than anything, India are playing 4 games in the USA and they are unknown conditions, or at least less known than the Caribbean. And statistically, if you look at the way Caribbean cricket is played, you’re going to face a lot of spin through the middle order. So, outside the first six overs, that’s where the challenge for Virat Kohli lies, when the pace comes off the ball and you’re in a situation where guys like great stroke-players like (Shivam) Dube or Rinku (Singh) are present to carry you forward,” Hayden said.

Hayden then gave the example of the T20I series between India and Australia last year that was held immediately after the ODI World Cup. The Indian team was without the likes of Rohit, Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and still they stormed to a 4-1 series win.

“Then again, do you go with youth? I mean, when you look at India’s second XI side that played Australia in November, you hammered us – the World Champions – 4-1 in that series and you are playing guys like Gaikwad who are not even in this discussion. Jaiswal was there as well getting hundreds. Anyway, I have challenged the thinking of the hierarchy in terms of, do you go with experience or youth that’s got the world at their feet, no baggage and come into their own,” Hayden said.