Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes it will be tough for the selectors to gun down on India’s top three batters for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The marquee event is scheduled to take place in Australia later this year. The Men in Blue will be desperate to win the tournament after crashing out of the tournament from the group stage last year.
India are currently eyeing the upcoming Asia Cup 2022, which gets underway later this month. While KL Rahul is likely to partner skipper Rohit Sharma at the top of the order in the tournament, Virat Kohli is favored to bat at No. 3. However, Manjrekar is not certain if Rahul Dravid will pursue this order in the marquee competition.
During an interaction on the Sports 18 show ‘Sports Over the Top’, Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out that the likes of Rahul, Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant are all contenders to bat in the top three apart from Rohit.
“Not answering that. It’s a tough one, really tough, because there are some serious contenders there. That’s why these matches before the T20 World Cup are so important,” Manjrekar said.
“KL Rahul has to be part of the T20 team. So has to be Virat Kohli just because of the stage and the pressure that comes in. It’s going to be a tough one. We have seen Suryakumar Yadav bat in the top three, we have seen Rishabh Pant bat in the top three. These are all very exciting options, so let’s see how it goes,” he added.
“I love that idea of Rishabh Pant opening with Rohit Sharma” – Sanjay Manjrekar
Manjrekar, however, seemed fascinated with the idea of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant opening the innings alongside Rohit Sharma. When asked for his views on Pant batting in the top three, Manjrekar responded:
“I love that idea of Rishabh Pant opening with Rohit Sharma. So that is something I am excited about, the possibility is there.”
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