Yashasvi Jaiswal did not find a place as Sanjay Manjrekar named his India playing eleven for the T20 World Cup 2024 on Friday. The former India batter said the youngster will have to sacrifice his place to accommodate Virat Kohli in the eleven as an opener.
Manjrekar has reckoned that Kohli would have to open to get his “full value”. He added that it was “impossible” to slot the former India captain at number – a place he feels Suryakumar Yadav should bat.
“Ideally, I would not have gone that way. I would have stuck with a slightly younger core set of players. But the selectors have committed themselves to the icons, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Now that they are in the squad, it is impossible to have Virat Kohli batting at number 3, because then you don’t get the full value of Virat. And Rohit Sharma, as well, has to open,” Sanjay Manjrekar told Star Sports.
“So, India, in a way, have forced themselves to have only one kind of combination, two right-handers. Unfortunately, Jaiswal will have to sit out. I would have gone completely with a new lot; then, you would have had a lot more flair and it would be something different. India have trusted the seniors, a move that hasn’t worked over the years. Let’s hope it works this time,” he added.
Further, the cricketer-turned-commentator backed wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant to play ahead of Sanju Samson. The Mumbaikar also included both Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya in the India playing eleven for the T20 World Cup 2024. He added that India will have to invest heavily on “big-match” players Pant and Hardik.
India Playing 11 for T20 World Cup 2024: Manjrekar drops Samson and Chahal
Manjrekar also included all the three specialist pacers in India’s 15-member squad. He also picked Kuldeep Yadav ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal as Ravindra Jadeja’s spin partner.
“Three seamers: Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj. Two spinners: Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Hardik Pandya will be the sixth bowler. I would start with Rishabh Pant as the wicketkeeper-batter. When you look at the batting order, you can see how it pans out. At number three, you could have Suryakumar Yadav and then Rishabh Pant.
“I want Pant to get into those India colours very early in the tournament because he is a big-match player. India’s problem in ICC events has been winning the semis or finals, and they need their big-match players to be feeling good. We know enough about Rishabh Pant; he’s a big stage, big pressure, big player. Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant are the players India have to invest heavily in. That’s how I would go,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.
