No Kohli & Pandya in Sanjay Manjrekar's Indian Squad

Sanjay Manjrekar has selected his preferred 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The former Indian batsman and his team have been deliberating on their selections almost daily, even coming close to announcing the main squad for the World Cup to the ICC. Manjrekar did not include Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya in his squad.

It is widely acknowledged that selecting the Indian team for this event is a challenging task. Manjrekar himself acknowledged this when speaking to Star Sports. He mentioned the pressure of considering talented players after the conclusion of the IPL, where local players are performing exceptionally well.

Manjrekar stated, "It's very tough because there are many talented players here. After the IPL, there are many names to consider."

The most discussed aspect is that Manjrekar did not include Kohli in his squad. He is considering Sanju Samson for the number three position. Additionally, alongside Ravindra Jadeja, he sees Krunal Pandya as an all-rounder.

Kohli's recent struggles to score quickly have been a topic of discussion. However, in the ongoing IPL season, his highest run tally so far is 460, with a strike rate of 145.76. In the recent match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kohli's scoring was somewhat slow. Furthermore, collectively, he has achieved a milestone of the slowest century in IPL history.

Hardik has been enduring a tough time in the IPL. As captain of Mumbai, he has scored only 151 runs so far, with a highest score of 39 runs. He has only taken 4 wickets.

Shivam Dube, who has been performing exceptionally for Chennai Super Kings, has also been left out by Manjrekar. Rinku Singh is also absent from the squad. Alongside Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal will open. Manjrekar has preferred Rishabh Pant and Lokesh Rahul as wicketkeepers.

Manjrekar's squad includes two specialized spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. Mayank Yadav has been retained for pace bowling. This young bowler has shown impressive performances in the ongoing IPL season. Other players in the squad are Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan, and Harshit Rana.

Sanjay Manjrekar's Indian Squad:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Lokesh Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, Krunal Pandya.