Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar is tipping off the Men in Blue to make a splash by introducing the dynamic lefthander Yashasvi Jaiswal into their lineup for the current T20 World Cup. The opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli hasnt quite found their rhythm mustering only partnerships of 22 12 0 and 11 runs so far.
The Indian team’s management may be inclined to remain with the winning combination. However, Manjrekar believes Yashasvi Jaiswal’s potential to win the game for his team on his own is a tempting prospect that may make things interesting in terms of the starting XI.
Here’s what Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo:
“A left-hander, plus the kind of game that he (Jaiswal) has. At some stage, India will feel the pressure of having a batter like him to open. If something is not working at the top, you can’t keep having that plan through the tournament. It’s like a monkey sitting on your shoulder.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Manjrekar also acknowledged that the problem will be resolved if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both return to their peak performance. However, he hopes that the two big guns will do well in the semifinals and final.
Anil Kumble on how India can fit Yashasvi Jaiswal in their XI
Former Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble was also there during the conversation. He stated how he believed India could get Yashasvi Jaiswal into their playing XI:
“The only option for India in case they do open with Yashasvi is they drop Virat down to No.3 and then push Rishabh at five and then obviously Shivam Dube misses out.”
Anil Kumble
Shivam Dube had an ordinary performance against Afghanistan, scoring only 10 runs off seven balls. Dube was chosen for his ability to tonk spinners, and only time will tell if India will stay with him.