In what promises to be a high-voltage encounter, the ‘Men in Blue,’ are set to lock horns with their arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023. Scheduled to take place at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on September 2, this match has garnered immense anticipation from cricket enthusiasts worldwide.
Providing his insights into the composition of the Indian squad for this crucial showdown, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has meticulously selected the players who he believes could form the ideal lineup against the Babar Azam-led Pakistani side.
In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, he said, “My three seamers would be Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami. Hardik Pandya would be my fourth seamer. My spinners would be Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. My opener would be Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. No. 3 would be Virat Kohli. KL Rahul would play because he is the keeper.”
Speaking about the crucial middle-order positions, Manjrekar said, “Either Shreyas Iyer or Tilak Varma could play. I am saying this because in India’s XI, the first seven (six) batters, including Hardik Pandya, are all right-handers. Somewhere, India will have to fit in a left-hander in Tilak Varma. This is a problem India has,” concluded Manjrekar.
Sanjay Manjrekar’s XI vs Pakistan: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer/ Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj