ICC World Cup 2019: Sanjay Manjrekar picks his India squad for the tournament

The Indian cricket team will feature in their last international game before the ICC World Cup 2019 when they play Australia in Delhi on March 13. The Indian players will then feature in the Indian Premier League 2019 before the commencement of the World Cup from May 30. The no.4 spot in the playing XI of the Indian team is still up for grabs many players are trying hard for the spot.

The musical chairs saw Indian captain Virat Kohli batting at this spot in the last ODI against Australia in Mohali. Sanjay Manjrekar felt that the best player to play at no.4 in the World Cup is Vijay Shankar. Shankar impressed everyone at the top of the order during the T20Is against New Zealand, with his clean hitting and batting prowess. Now Manjrekar has suggested playing Shankar at that spot.

“After his 90 against New Zealand in Wellington, I was sure he had cemented his spot. But three low scores and the rise of Vijay Shankar thereafter have put his place in question,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying in The Times of India (TOI). Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that Dhoni should bat as a floater in the team and he should be sent into bat whenever deemed necessary.

Manjrekar also said that his place in the team is cemented for the World Cup and given that he shares a wonderful rapport with the two spinners in the team- Kuldeep and Chahal, Dhoni and his calmness will be the key for India in the upcoming competition.

Middle order woes and pick of fast bowler

Manjrekar also felt that after the strong top three, India have a very weak middle order. He said that the Indian team is one of the best in the world going into the World Cup 2019, but he is not sure whether they will the tournament. He also felt that the current middle order of Rayudu, Dhoni, and Kedar Jadhav are in the league of the 2011 World Cup winning team.

Another point that Manjrekar mentioned that India should go for Mohammad Shami as the second fast bowler in the team to partner Jasprit Bumrah over Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He feels that the current bowling attack possessed by India is much better than what MS Dhoni had in the 2011 World Cup.

Manjrekar’s squad for World Cup:

Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul.

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