Despite being a late addition to the Indian team for the ODI series against England, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy found no place for him in India’s XI for the series opener on Thursday. Manjrekar made some daring selections and omissions as he revealed his preferred XI for the first encounter of the 3-match ODI series, starting in Nagpur. The former India cricketer even refused to make a change in the opening department, selecting skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as his two preferred picks, leaving the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal out on the bench.
Manjrekar, in a chat on ESPNCricinfo, picked the ever-reliant No. 3, Virat Kohli, for the one-down position while Shreyas Iyer slotted in at the No. 4 spot. There was a big call to make between Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul for the wicket-keeper’s role at the No. 5 position. He decided to ‘experiment’ with Pant, keeping the forthcoming Champions Trophy campaign in mind.
Hardik Pandya occupied the No. 6 spot while Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar came in as the two spin-bowling all-rounders in the team. India coach Gautam Gambhir’s fondness for Sundar isn’t a secret anymore and Manjrekar feels the Tamil Nadu lad might get the nod above Axar Patel for the second spin all-rounder’s spot.
Kuldeep Yadav came in the team next as the only pure spinner, while there was no place for Chakravarthy whose addition to the roster is said to have taken place because of potential Champions Trophy ambitions.
Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami were the two seamers picked in the XI for the first ODI in Nagpur. Harshit Rana is another pace in the team but the chances of his inclusion in the series opener remain slim.
Sanjay Manjrekar’s India XI for the first ODI against England: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
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