In preparation for the match against Pakistan, cricket analyst Sanjay Manjrekar has put forward his thoughts on the ideal playing XI for Team India. A notable inclusion in his suggested lineup is the young left-handed batter, Tilak Varma. Manjrekar’s assessment comes from a concern over the composition of the team’s batting order, which currently features a majority of right-handers.
Manjrekar points out that India’s top seven batters consist of six right-handers. To address this potential vulnerability, he suggests incorporating Tilak Varma. The need for a left-hander becomes particularly evident in the context of recent struggles faced by the team.
India’s batting struggled against the Windies. Following the series loss, head coach Rahul Dravid said that they needed to improve their batting depth.
Manjrekar named his playing XI for India’s opening Asia Cup 2023 game against Pakistan during a conversation on ESPNcricinfo.
“Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami are my three seamers.” My fourth seamer would be Hardik Pandya. Jadeja and Kuldeep would be my spinners. Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma would be my openers. Virat Kohli plays at No.3. KL Rahul would play because he is the keeper,” he said.
Manjrekar also stated why he would like to include Varma in his starting lineup:
“In the middle order, either Shreyas Iyer or Tilak Varma could play. I say this because the first seven (six) batters in India’s first-choice XI, including Hardik Pandya, are all right-handers. Tilak Varma, India’s left-hander, will have to fill in somewhere. This is an issue India has.”
Captain Rohit Sharma recently confessed to the media that the Men in Blue have failed to identify a good No. 4 batter in ODIs following the departure of left-handed Yuvraj Singh.