With the T20 World Cup 2022 is hardly four months away, the Indian head coach, Rahul Dravid, and skipper, Rohit Sharma will be leaving no stone unturned to find a perfect team combination. Going by Dravid’s philosophy, the batting great doesn’t seem to explore too many options. It won’t be a surprise if the team management finalizes its T20 World Cup squad by the Asia Cup, with most players sealing their respective positions for the T20 showpiece event in Australia.
High-flying Yuzvendra Chahal has emerged as India’s key bowler for the tournament but it remains to be seen whether Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav will be included in the squad. Ravindra Jadeja also remains a crucial element of the spin attack but former Indian cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar believes India might prefer Axar over the star all-rounder.
Jadeja has also performed the role of a finisher but the emergence of Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya intensifies the competition even further.
During a recent chat with Sony Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar said, “Clearly, Dinesh Karthik has shown that he can be a number 6 or 7 as a pure batter. The impact that he is making is phenomenal and we saw that in T20Is against South Africa and also in the IPL. So, it’s not really going to be easy for Jadeja to come in and take his place and India might settle in with somebody like Axar Patel.”
He further added, “The side now has Hardik Pandya, Karthik batting down the order. Rishabh Pant is also there so it’s not going to be easy for him. But knowing the kind of player Jadeja is, he will be making sure that the headache doesn’t get less for the selectors.”
Ravindra Jadeja was named the skipper of four-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings but he eventually resigned and handed back the captaincy to MS Dhoni. He captained CSK in the first eight matches and they managed to win just two games, had a forgettable season as he managed just 116 runs, and took five wickets in 10 matches.
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Days after quitting the leadership role, Jadeja was ruled out of the remainder of the season due to a rib injury. He is currently playing the warm-up match between India and Leicestershire before Rohit Sharma’s men take on England in the rescheduled Test, beginning July 1.
Sanjay Manjrekar also spoke about Rishabh Pant, who has been criticized for poor shot selection during the recently-concluded home T20 assignment against South Africa. Manjrekar said the southpaw stumper currently faces ‘pressure’ to deliver.
Manjrekar said, “Rishabh Pant has made number four his place (During the South Africa series). Although, I thought Hardik Pandya should have batted at that position after the way he performed in the IPL. Ishan Kishan at the top and number four will be totally different. We haven’t seen him at that position and that’s not an easy position to bat on.”
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He further explained, “KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan are openers and they aren’t really the options at number four or five. But the kind of performances that we have seen from all the guys, Pant will feel the pressure of having to perform.”
