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The India tour of Sri Lanka will begin with three-match ODI series on July 13, followed by three T20I games from July 22. As the fixtures of India versus Sri Lanka limited-overs series are out, many experts and pundits of the fascinating game have started revealing their ideal playing XI.
Recently, Deep Dasgupta had picked his India playing XI for the T20I leg in interaction with ESPNcricinfo. In the same show, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar also selected his India XI for the T20I series.
Manjrekar picked Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw as his openers. Both Dhawan and Shaw exhibited high-quality batting for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the now-postponed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
At No.3 and No.4, Manjrekar went with Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan. Both have been remarkable for Mumbai Indians (MI) over the past few years and did pretty well when they made their T20I debut against England in March earlier this year. Manjrekar also named Kishan as his team’s wicket-keeper.
To strengthen the middle-order, the cricketer-turned-commentator picked Manish Pandey at number five. Despite being there for quite a few time, Pandey hasn’t yet cemented his place in the India outfit. The battle against the Lankans would be a wonderful opportunity for him to impress selectors considering the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The 55-year-old selected Hardik Pandya and Rahul Tewatiya as two all-rounders, while for the specialist spinner, he went with Rahul Chahar.
For the seamers, Manjrekar picked Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar and a find of IPL 2021 Chetan Sakariya. He named Sakariya as his ‘out of the box’ player.
“I am really impressed with this guy (Chetan Sakariya). He has got all the deliveries to bowl at various stages. So, I really want to see him tested at the international level, and let’s hope he becomes another exciting option for India,” said Manjrekar.
Here is Sanjay Manjrekar’s India’s T20I XI for the Sri Lanka series:
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, Chetan Sakariya, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
