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Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said that he would have rather gone with a younger side in the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup 2024 which is set to be held in the United States and West Indies as trusting the senior players has not given them any good results. He even criticised the selection of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and said their inclusion has limited the Indian team to only one kind of combination and it would not allow young Yashasvi Jaiswal to perform well or even find his spot in the playing XI.
Manjrekar slams Rohit and Virat's inclusion
"Ideally, I would not have gone that way; I would have stuck with a slightly more younger kind of, core set of players but the selectors have committed themselves to the icons, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Now that they are in the squad, it's impossible to have Virat Kohli batting at No. 3 because then you don't get the full rally of Virat. Rohit Sharma has to open, so now, India in a way have forced themselves to have only one kind of combination — two right-handers" Manjrekar said on Star Sports' Press Room World Cup edition.
Manjrekar went on and talked about how trusting the senior players doesn't give them results. He also said this will only affect the team much as dynamic batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal who could be the ace factor for India might even struggle to find their spot in the eleven.
"Unfortunately, Jaiswal will have to sit out. I would have gone completely with a new lot (and) then he would have had a lot more flair and it would be something different. (But) India have trusted the seniors a move that hasn't worked over the years let's hope it works this time," Manjrekar added.
Manjrekar worried about Virat in the knockout stages
Manjrakar opined that Virat Kohli puts a lot of pressure on himself during the knockout stage and this does not allow him to bat freely. However, this is not the case with Indian captain Rohit Sharma.
"Virat does take it upon himself. You see that happening in all the big games to bat a little longer, perhaps feels obliged because of the kind of stature that he has in Indian cricket to bat longer rather than just come and bat freely. But Rohit Sharma will do that, no matter his stature. We saw that in the ODI World Cup. But I'm worried about Virat really when it comes to semis and the finals," said Manjrekar.
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