Virat Kohli will have to show that he is a better option than youngsters in T20Is: Sanjay Manjrekar

Virat Kohli Century. (Photo Source: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

India’s preparation for the upcoming T20I World Cup has already begun with the ongoing series against Australia. The seniors have taken a break following a heart-breaking defeat in the ODI World Cup final and there have been a lot of discussions regarding the future of Indian cricket. As per reports, Rohit Sharma is likely to lead the national team in the next year’s World Cup but Virat Kohli may not get selected.

As per former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, the star India batter needs to show his class in the shorter format to be considered for selection. He will not be playing in the upcoming T20I series against South Africa as the likes of Yashavi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma have been given an opportunity to prove themselves. Hence, Kohli will need to have a good season of IPL to be considered.

“Virat Kohli will have to show that he is a better option than the youngsters who are playing currently, and Rohit Sharma as T20 batter and captain vs Hardik Pandya, the T20 batter, all-rounder and captain,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

We are playing slightly different cricket in the final stages of World Cups: Manjrekar

Analysing India’s loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad, Manjrekar said that the team probably played slightly differently than what they did throughout the rest of the tournament. Until the semi-final, the Rohit Sharma-led side played an aggressive brand of cricket and dominated the majority of the teams. However, they struggled to get going in the final and could not score enough runs.

“Who knows what’s in store in life? I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I believe the approach should be extremely simple. We have played a lot of World Cups and haven’t been able to win them. We are maybe playing slightly different cricket in the final stages of World Cups. When something goes out of your hand, simplify it. Pick your team based on form close to the World Cup,” Majrekar said.