"Hardik Pandya needs a bit of help"- Sanjay Manjrekar feels Steve Smith can replace Kane Williamson in GT's IPL 2023 squad

India v Australia - 3rd ODI — Steve Smith's captaincy skills could help Hardik Pandya, according to Manjrekar (P.C.:Getty)

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels the Gujarat Titans (GT) should give thought to naming Australian star batter Steve Smith as a replacement for Kane Williamson in their IPL 2023 squad. Williamson injured his right knee during the opening game of the season and unfortunately has been ruled out of the tournament.

Williamson had a pretty crucial role at No.3 for GT and so the latter will need to find a suitable replacement as soon as possible. Manjrekar feels Smith's game is suitable to what the Titans were expecting from Williamson at the No.3 spot.

Speaking to Star Sports, Manjrekar also explained how Smith's leadership abilities will provide some much-needed support to GT skipper Hardik Pandya. He said:

“Steve Smith is the kind of player they want, somebody who can play all kinds of gears. Plus with the new rules which he finds very cool, I’d love to see Smith's' captaincy, we saw that and we were raving about it in the India-Australia series. And Hardik Pandya needs a bit of help, he confessed, ‘I have no idea what my tactics are, so I’m going to leave it to the others.’ So, that could be a great call actually.”

Steve Smith on his chances of playing in IPL 2023

Steve Smith is well aware that injuries may force franchises to look at replacements from the unsold lot during the IPL 2023 auction. However, he feels that since he didn't name himself in the auction, he may not get a chance to feature in the IPL 2023 season.

On this, he stated:

“I don’t know if I’ll qualify, I didn’t even put myself in the auctions. So I don’t think there’s even a possibility. So, maybe next year, we will see where we go. I think just coming up against the best players around the world, the learning experiences from each of those, sharing dressing rooms with guys like MS Dhoni, Jos Buttler, guys like that, It’s been incredible, and the IPL has just been unbelievable since its start 15 years ago and it just continues to grow and grow.”

GT might need to back B Sai Sudharsan at the No.3 spot again when they take on Delhi Capitals in their next game.