“India will have to fit in a left-hander in Tilak Varma” - Sanjay Manjrekar picks his playing XI for Asia Cup 2023 clash against Pakistan

Sanjay Manjrekar reckons India will have to try and fit in young batter Tilak Varma in the playing XI for their Asia Cup 2023 opening clash against Pakistan in Pallekele on September 2. According to the former Indian batter, the Men in Blue's first-choice XI has six right-handers in the top seven, which could be a problem.

Team India recently featured in a three-match T20I series in Ireland, where comeback man Jasprit Bumrah led the side to a 2-0 win. Before that, the Men in Blue went down to West Indies 3-2 in a five-match T20I series.

India’s batting was a major letdown against the Windies. Following the series loss, head coach Rahul Dravid admitted that batting depth is an area they need to work on.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar picked his playing XI for India’s first Asia Cup 2023 gameagainst Pakistan.

“My three seamers would be Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami. Hardik Pandya would be my fourth seamer. My spinners would be Jadeja and Kuldeep. My opener would be Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. No. 3 batter would be Virat Kohli. KL Rahul would play because he is the keeper,” he replied.

On why he would be keen on fitting Varma into the playing XI, Manjrekar explained:

“Either Shreyas Iyer or Tilak Varma could play (in the middle order). I am saying this because in India’s first-choice side XI, the first seven (six) batters, including Hardik Pandya, are all right-handers. Somewhere, India will have to fit in a left-hander in Tilak Varma. This is a problem India has.”

During a recent media interaction, Team India captain Rohit Sharma admitted that the Men in Blue have struggled to find a good No. 4 batter in ODIs since the retirement of the left-handed Yuvraj Singh.

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Sanjay Manjrekar's preferred India playing XI for Asia Cup 2023 match against Pakistan

Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer/ Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

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After the much-anticipated Group A clash against Pakistan, India next face Nepal in the Asia Cup on September 4.

The two teams from Group A featuring India, Pakistan and Nepal will qualify for the Super Fours.