"Virat Kohli has to show he is a better option in T20Is": Sanjay Manjrekar
Dec 03, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 4 : Amid a debate on whether batting stalwart Virat Kohli should feature in India's squad for the T20I World Cup next year, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said he needs to perform well in the shortest format to show that he is a better option than the youngsters.
Kohli, who was the top run-getter in the ODI World Cup earlier this year, is currently on a break from limited-overs cricket after India's defeat to Australia in the final.
Speaking on Star Sports, Manjrekar said the India skipper will face competition from Hardik Pandya when it comes to selection for the shortest format going forward.
"Virat Kohli will have to show that he is a better option than the youngsters who are playing currently, and Rohit Sharma as T20 batter and captain vs Hardik Pandya, the T20 batter, all-rounder and captain," Manjrekar said.
Ahead of the upcoming T20I World Cup, the 58-year-old also asked the team management to pick the squad on form and not reputation.
"Who knows what's in store in life? I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. I believe the approach should be extremely simple. We have played a lot of World Cups and haven't been able to win them. We are maybe playing slightly different cricket in the final stages of World Cups. When something goes out of your hand, simplify it. Pick your team based on form close to the World Cup," he added.
Before the start of the 2024 T20 World Cup, India will look to play more 20-over matches to give themselves the best chance of winning the tournament.
The 'Men In Blue' on Sunday won the last match of the ongoing T20I series against Australia in Bengaluru, taking the series 4-1.
Led by Shreyas Iyer (53 runs from 37 balls) and all-rounder Axar Patel (31 off 21 balls), who came together for a solid partnership, the hosts posted 160 on the board.
After a rollicking start, the Aussies fell away in the chase, losing wickets at regular intervals. However, Aussie skipper Matthew Wade (36 runs from 23 balls) brought the equation down to 10 off 4 balls but Arshdeep bowled a splendid last over to take hosts to a narrow win.
