T20 World Cup 2022: "Not answering that" - Sanjay Manjrekar on picking Team India's top 3 for the tournament

Sanjay Manjrekar has pointed out that it is extremely tough to pick Team India's top three for the T20 World Cup 2022 at the moment.

The selectors have picked a 15-member Indian squad for the Asia Cup to be played in the UAE from August 27 to September 11. While KL Rahul is likely to partner Rohit Sharma at the top of the order in the tournament, Virat Kohli is favored to bat at No. 3.

During an interaction on the Sports 18 show 'Sports Over the Top', Manjrekar was asked who his top three would be if the T20 World Cup squad was to be picked today. He replied:

"Not answering that. It's a tough one, really tough, because there are some serious contenders there. That's why these matches before the T20 World Cup are so important."

Manjrekar pointed out that the likes of Rahul, Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant are all contenders to bat in the top three apart from Rohit. The former Indian batter elaborated:

"KL Rahul has to be part of the T20 team. So has to be Virat Kohli just because of the stage and the pressure that comes in. It's going to be a tough one. We have seen Suryakumar Yadav bat in the top three, we have seen Rishabh Pant bat in the top three. These are all very exciting options, so let's see how it goes."

The Men in Blue have tried Pant and Yadav as openers in the last couple of T20I series they have played. However, they might not continue with that experiment, considering regular opener Rahul is back in the mix.

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"I love that idea of Rishabh Pant opening with Rohit Sharma" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Rishabh Pant batted at the top of the order in the T20I series against England

Manjrekar was also asked for his views on Pant batting in the top three. He responded:

"I love that idea of Rishabh Pant opening with Rohit Sharma. So that is something I am excited about, the possibility is there."

The cricketer-turned-analyst was further asked to pick his No. 3 batter in such a scenario. He replied:

"It's such a difficult one. You have got Virat Kohli, you have got KL Rahul, you have got Suryakumar Yadav and I think these are the three serious contenders. I am stumped."

Pant managed just 27 runs in the two T20Is he opened against England. The Indian team management has probably shelved the idea of opening with him, considering that he was not persisted with at the top of the order against the West Indies and Yadav was made to perform that role instead.