The T20 World Cup 2024 is just one sleep away. The countdown has already begun. Cricket enthusiasts are down in cricket fever. Team India will start their journey on June 5. But there are some concerns over the team. One of them is Virat Kohli’s batting order in the team and the other one is bowling combination. Sanjay Manjrekar cautioned the Indian team against selecting Hardik as their fifth bowler, advising them to focus more on spin.
Concerns of Team India:
The T20 World Cup is coming in close. All the teams are ready to take on the challenges. Team India will start their journey in the tournament on June 5 against Ireland. Before stepping into the tournament, Team India has some concerns to resolve. The first concern is Virat Kohli’s batting position. The team management selected Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opener along with Rohit Sharma. On the other hand, Virat Kohli opened for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the recently ended IPL season and showcased his excellence. Now it is a biased decision to select an opener along with Rohit Sharma and what would be Kohli’s batting order.
On the other hand, another concern is bowling combination. This year, the West Indies and the USA are organizing the T20 World Cup. India will play matches on American soil which is a new experience for them. Along with prime bowlers, Team India may need a fifth option.
Shivan Dube is a responsible all-rounder. He is a good option for the fifth bowling option. But he didn’t roll his arms in IPL. In that case, Hardik Pandya can take the fifth bowler’s place.
Majrekar SayingNo to Hardik As the Fifth Bowling Option:
In this year, Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians and announced as the captain of the franchise. But this season ended up being forgettable for the MI skipper. Under his captaincy, Mumbai Indians ended up in the last position of the points table. Along with scoring 216 runs in this season, he scored 11 wickets. He could be a fifth bowling option for the team but Sanjay Manjrekar denied that.
Manjrekar said, “ Hardik Pandya can’t be your fifth bowler. I think India must have the sixth bowler as Hardik Pandya because of the amount of bowling he has done and with fitness. So, I’d rather go a little heavy on spin because when you look at the seam quality of India, there’s not much depth.”
On Shami’s Absence:
In the 2023 ODI World Cup, Mohammad Shami was one of the best bowlers in the tournament. He ended up being the highest wicketkeeper. But after that, he has been ruled out from cricket due to an injury. Because of that, he missed the entire IPL and will miss the T20 World Cup too. That is a setback for India.
While talking about his absence, Sanjay Manjrekar said, “If Mohammed Shami had been there then it would have completely changed the look of India’s bowling attack. You have some good spinning options, so I rather go with an extra spinner.”
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