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Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar feels that if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play crucial innings in big matches like semi-finals or finals of the T20 World Cup, their performances in the group stage will not make much of a difference. Kohli has not reached double figures in the three matches played so far in the tournament. Rohit scored a half century against Ireland but his bat did not go well against Pakistan and USA.
‘Seniors are expected to…’
“If you have picked players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, you have prioritized experience,” Manjrekar told PTI. You are your seasoned players World Cup We want to get them so that they perform well when it really matters so I have no problem with the fact that some of these players are not in form. If these players play decisive innings in the semi finals or finals to make the team victorious then the same performance is expected from your senior players.
Manjrekar, who played 37 Tests and 74 ODIs for India, said, “If one of your young players performs well, it is a bonus for you, like Inzamam-ul-Haq did for Pakistan in the 1992 World Cup. Senior players should contribute more and I think that’s why the selection committee prioritized experience for the T20 World Cup.
‘We’ll just have to wait and see’
Shivam Dubey made a place in the Indian team based on his brilliant performances in the IPL but he is yet to perform as expected in the World Cup, but Manjrekar expects a good performance from the all-rounder. He said, “We have to wait to see if Shivam Dubey can repeat his brilliant performance against the spinners in the IPL.” Playing against spinners in the World Cup is not easy and it remains to be seen how Dubey changes his game to succeed on these pitches.
‘I didn’t expect this to happen’
Manjrekar did not expect Rishabh Pant to be sent in to bat at number three but it turned out to be a good decision in the end. He said, “The team management wants dominant players at every number and as far as Rishabh Pant is concerned, I didn’t expect him to be sent in to bat at number three but in the end it turned out to be a good decision. Pant showed his skills and India in the tournament. So far the best performing batsman has been.